Owensborosown

Game Number One

2011-06-03T16:40:00.002-05:00

Trey Davey and Benji’s sports careers began today with their first t-ball game. At this level, participation not competition rules the day. They batted in order by their number, and Trey Davey was number 3. The top photo shows his glee with his first hit. He was so excited at first that he forgot the base order. When the next batter hit the ball up the middle, Davey headed directly for third where he nearly collided with a teammate running from third to first and the infielders chasing the ball. After his first hit, Benji had no problem finding first, second and third base, but as the photo below shows, he drifted a little on his way home.

All Aboard the Wildcat Express

2011-06-02T16:39:00.003-05:00

We spotted this playground train in the side yard of a home on Highway 140 in Utica, Kentucky. This grandfather built a train for his first grandchild. Then over time, as he added more grandchildren, he would add more vehicles. He built an antique car and a tractor, and then added a coal car, tanker car and caboose to the train. His last playground addition, and his masterpiece, is the water tower, which doubles as tree house and supports two sets of swings. The grandmother entertains the neighbors by decorating the train for all the major holidays. Now, these are fun grandparents.

Full Stream Ahead

2011-06-01T16:33:00.002-05:00

After the fun we had a few days ago at the Yellow Creek Park spray park, the boys lobbied to go again. This time we visited the spray park at Legion Park. This is the one Granny’s Rotary Club raised money to build a decade ago. The spray is on a timer here that cycles about every five minutes. After discovering the on switch located on this pole, Benji was fixated on it. He kept pushing and pushing it even after the water began spraying. During one spray pause, Davey believed Benji wasn’t pushing hard enough and proceeded to help him while two cute young girls looked on.

Covered Bridge

2011-05-31T16:32:00.002-05:00

There is public service campaign running now promoting that children play physically for an hour a day. That is a goal that we really embrace. The challenge for us is finding a place for that exercise. The house is not an appropriate place for running. During warm weather months we can go out in the yard, but during the winter we can only go to the gym. Today was such a beautiful day that we took the opportunity to take a hike at Yellow Creek Park where they have this beautiful covered bridge. We are looking forward to a lot of outside exercise this summer.

Rainbow Spray Boys

2011-05-30T16:29:00.002-05:00

It was a beautiful Memorial Day weekend and the first opportunity to enjoy the spray park at Yellow Creek Park. When we arrived it looked as though the device was broken because the water pressure was but trickle. Soon however, we found the parks keeper, and he repaired the valves allowing for the full spray. All the children were so energized by the new spray that they began running wildly around the area. This mayhem soon resulted in a head on collision between Benji and an older boy. This momentarily stopped the action and allowed the group to organize traffic patterns. With a plan in place, they were off again merrily running through the multicolored sprayer.

Base Practice

2011-05-29T16:28:00.002-05:00

Say it with me: first base, second base, third base, home. It was our mantra: first base, second base, third base, home. Today was the day our boys learned this concept. We didn’t want them to be totally ignorant about the game when we started T-Ball next week. Teaching them the bases was easy compared to finding a diamond for practice. The city parks have a significant number of little league ball fields and all of them are fenced and locked when not in use. We found this to be also true of all the county parks and the fields owned by the public schools. Thank goodness the Catholic schools have the good sense to leave their baseball fields open so the neighborhood kids can play even when the league is out of season.

Neighborhood Party

2011-05-28T16:27:00.003-05:00

Our next door neighbors, the Roberts, decided to have an impromptu neighborhood barbeque for those who did not escape town for the Memorial Day holiday. Our boys had no problem fitting in with the girly gang for fun and games. Here they are holding a parachute filled with softball-sized light-weight plastic balls. Together they try to toss the balls into the air and then catch them without spilling any. The tall girl standing beside the balls on the back row is Marris Blunt. Standing left to right across the front row is Annie Rose Helwig, AnaKaye Roberts and Jules Helwig.

Tall Davey

2011-05-27T10:44:00.004-05:00

Trey Davey is really growing, which was illustrated yesterday at Reid’s Orchard. He now stands over 40 inches, which is about 3 foot 4. I would expect him to grow another 3 feet before he’s done.

Reid’s Apple Slide

2011-05-26T10:43:00.002-05:00

The Mother’s of Multiples was hosting a play date today which afforded us with a great opportunity to take advantage of this beautiful spring day at Reid’s Orchard. We have visited this fun place on several previous occasions and we are no strangers to the activities there, especially their unique playground. While there are many fun activities there, our clear favorite is the apple slider. First you must climb two flights of stairs to reach a three story wooden deck. Then you will see two large parallel tubes. The insides are smooth and angled at just the right angle to propel you quickly without loosing control.

Mack’s Sandbox

2011-05-25T10:40:00.002-05:00

Recently, we visited Mack Burton’s new house and discovered his ultra cool sandbox. It is an old tractor tire filled with sand and toys. Mack lived next door to us until about 6 months ago when his family purchased and moved to a newly constructed home in the Lake Forest subdivision. Once Mack’s little sister was born last year, Mack’s parents began looking for a house with three bedrooms all on the same floor. Mack’s new house is much larger and has a huge backyard. Davey was in sandbox heaven and immediately began lobbying for one of his own, which means we would need two.

Another Tornado Warning

2011-05-24T10:39:00.003-05:00

With a set of the city’s air-raid sirens located in the school yard behind our house, we don’t sleep through alerts. Tonight it sounded a little after 10:00 pm. The boys were already asleep, so we scooped them up and hurried to the basement. That task was a lot easier when they were little babies. You would think we lived on the Kansas plains based on the number of tornado warnings we have “enjoyed” this year. Thankfully, we have a comfortable basement stocked for just this type of emergency and plenty of emergency evacuation practice just in case the big one ever comes.

The Face After the Fall

2011-05-23T10:37:00.001-05:00

Poor Davey, he looks even worse. A few days ago, he tripped and fell into the TV stand injuring his face bad enough to require three stitches in his eyebrow. Then, today at the playground he let go of the chains while swinging to wipe his runny nose. This caused him to fall backwards out of the seat as it was swinging forward. Had he been over water, it would have been a beautiful swinging summersault dive. Instead, it was a header into the playground mulch, which scratched the other side of his face. Hopefully, he is healing in his sleep.

Happy Birthday Uncle Stephen

2011-05-22T10:36:00.001-05:00

We don’t see Uncle Steve very often, but it is always fun when we do. He lives in Indianapolis with Aunt Erin and Cousin Levi. Steve is a sports guy and always has the scoop on all the major sporting news. His favorite teams are the Indianapolis Colts and the Kentucky Wildcats. He is very tall, and back in the day, he played basketball in high school and college. When we get older, we look forward to receiving sports technique pointers from him. He is also a marketing guy, so we expect him to manage our merchandising when we turn professional.

Happy Birthday Mack

2011-05-21T10:32:00.001-05:00

Mack Burton, until recently our next door neighbor, invited us to his third birthday party at a bounce house downtown. There were about 25 parents and children in attendance and all had a wonderful time. The facility, while small, offers a surprising amount of activities for children of all ages. When we visited our first bounce house a couple of years ago the boys were too young to really benefit from the facility, but now they possess the strength and agility to truly enjoy all its benefits. Designed for such activities as birthday parties, this facility offers a party room in the back for cake and ice cream. We had a great time.

Davey’s Stitches

2011-05-20T10:00:00.001-05:00

In his padded room, Trey Davey managed to collide with the vertical edge of the TV stand causing a fat lip, check scrape and deep eyebrow cut. We immediately transported him the few blocks over to the convenient care (emergency room). Pa soon came to take Benji home so we could focus on Davey’s treatment. After an extended wait and a small amount of pain medicine, our brave little soldier fell into a peaceful sleep. Some time later he was rudely awakened to find his head covered except for his left eye and a doctor stitching him back together. Her experience, education, and excellent bedside manner were obvious. She asked questions about Thomas and his friends to calm and redirect Davey’s attention. Before he could answer all her Sodor questions correctly, she was finished, and soon we were on our way home.

Strawberry Picking and Grinning

2011-05-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

The first time we picked strawberries the boys were very tentative and mystified by what we were doing. They picked everything; ripe strawberries, green strawberries, leaves and stems. This time, they were experienced. The boys understood what strawberries were, where to find the best ones, and how to pick just the best red ones. With this knowledge, we skillfully filled two baskets with beautiful strawberries in only a few minutes, which left more time to devote to the orchard’s playground. They also understood for several weeks that if they cleaned their dinner plates, the reward would be a bowl of the strawberries that they had picked themselves.

Surprise Attack

2011-05-18T10:00:00.001-05:00

Sandy does an excellent job rotating the twins’ toys. By doing so, the boys less often become tired of the same old toys and are afforded the excitement of regularly rediscovering old toy friends. One amusement that makes a reoccurring appearance for a day or so every few weeks is the tunnel. Children love crawling into small places, and men gravitate to cave-like spaces to be alone and think, so the portable tunnel provides the perfect place for a little boy’s introspection. I suspect Trey Davey’s desire was to be left alone in this place to play with his train, but solitude is scarce when you have a brother, and surprise attacks are so much fun.

One Heavenly Ride

2011-05-17T10:00:00.003-05:00

While trains are the twins’ boyhood obsession, cars were mine. As I grew older my preference ran from contemporary to classic cars. This I shared with my father, although his old ride preference was for highly modified hot rods, where I was drawn to like-new restorations. So it was a bit surprising when the boys first caught sight of this 1936 Ford before I did. I love the design of this era of cars with the running boards and exposed headlights. We followed this car down Parrish Avenue and were surprised to see him pull into the same place we were heading. Apparently, he too attended our church and chose this beautiful Sunday morning to drive his antique car. Maybe one day he’ll offer us a ride.

Squirreling Around

2011-05-16T10:00:00.001-05:00

In other news, lunch today was interrupted by the sudden appearance of a squirrel in our dining room window box. Early attempts to ignore the cute rodent’s disturbance were unsuccessful. Diners observed first the sensation of being watched, and then heard the scratches of our pint-sized peeping Tom. Once the dinner crasher was discovered, a great commotion erupted inside the home as preschoolers craned to see the intruder. After numerous futile attempts to redirect the children’s attention back to the meal, their parents finally capitulated and helped their children out of their highchairs so they could observe their new furry friend up close. Apparently, voyeurism was only appealing to Mr. Squirrel from afar because once the twins peeped back from just behind the window, the perpetrator made a hasty escape through the nearby bushes. Afterwards, the lunch returned to normal.

The New Train

2011-05-15T10:00:00.000-05:00

I noticed a nice large train in its original box recently at a garage sale marked just $10. In my head I could hear Sandy saying “We don’t need another train, especially one that big.” I decided to let the seller make my choice for me, so I asked the home owner if she would take $7, and she accepted my offer without hesitation. When we assembled the train at home Sandy observed that it still donned its original packing stickers. After spending another $10 on batteries, the locomotive screamed loudly to life complete with smoke puffing from the stack. The boys were in heaven! After listening to that extremely noisy toy for an hour I hypothesized that after its maiden appearance, the original owner’s mother hid this train in the closet for years and was willing to take any offer to banish it from her life. Toot, Toot!

Sick Benji

2011-05-14T10:00:00.001-05:00

It is not unusual for Trey Davey to refuse a meal, even one of his favorite dishes, but when his brother Benji won’t eat, he is sick. Not only did he not eat his delicious peanut butter and jelly sandwich on cinnamon raisin bread with apple wedges, but our little one fell asleep during the prayer. We agreed that rest was the best treatment for his condition, so I scooped him up and carried him upstairs to the comfort of his bed. There was no resistance to today’s afternoon nap which again was unusual. Benji typically fights taking a nap and fights getting up afterwards. After his lunch, Davey went directly to his bed to nap too. He likes staying on schedule, and just like clockwork, he awoke at 4:00 pm ready to resume fun and games. Benji slept a little longer and was feeling better the next morning.

Ice Cream Truck

2011-05-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

The lyricist wrote, “I’m your ice cream man; stop me when I’m passing by. See now all my flavors are guaranteed to satisfy.” In the center of Town Square Mall is a group of riding toys. Most accommodate only one rider, but this ice cream truck just so happens to have room enough for three. Recently, our enterprising young men were bold enough to make friends with this little boy long enough to take a ride in his ice cream truck on his two quarters. I would have been embarrassed by their brazenness if I hadn’t known his parents and received their invitation. When they discover girls, we’re in trouble deep.

Under Table Reading

2011-05-12T10:00:00.003-05:00

“Here we are Daddy”, Benji said, proud of their new place. He and his brother decided to crawl under the dining room table while we prepared lunch recently. He well knows his mother doesn’t approve of hiding under the table, but highly approves of reading, so he and Davey brought books with them to this space in order to seek a loophole to the under table prohibition. It worked for a while, until lunch was ready and she called to them repeatedly to come out. The process of establishing and maintaining boundaries is a constant and ever challenging task especially as the boys become wiser and more clever.

Their Own Drums

2011-05-11T10:00:00.002-05:00

There is usually more than one way to accomplish a task. Individuals with different talents will approach jobs from different directions and the results are often quite interesting. If two artists work independently on the same task, say painting the same subject, their painting will appear quite different and yet correctly represent the topic. When two artists work together on a single piece, such as in music, their collaboration will merge their individual talents. Synergy occurs when the blending of the two talents achieves a result greater than what either individual could have achieved alone. We want our boys to shine as individuals, follow the beat of their own drums and make individual achievements, but we also hope they will collaborate together on projects and synergize their talents to create an unbeatable team.

Katelyn’s Visit

2011-05-10T10:00:00.001-05:00

Our friend Al Bell’s daughter Adrian Parks and her husband Stephen recently adopted a little girl from Europe. Her name is Katelyn and she is seven years old. While she may be about four years older than the twins, they have about the same grasp of the English language. Our language is her second, and she is a quick study. Her vocabulary was greatly enhanced by her visit to our house as the boys taught her a number of new words her mother might have missed like; steamer, coal car, gondola car, box car, tanker car, caboose, train station and railroad.

First T-Ball Practice

2011-05-09T10:00:00.001-05:00

We signed the twins up to play t-ball in the city park department’s 3-4 year old league. It is an instructional league designed to teach the children the very, very basics of baseball. Only one practice was scheduled before the first game and it was for “organization”. This gathering of strangers found a small number of fathers, including myself, suddenly responsible for teaching the fundamentals of America’s game to short attention-span preschoolers. We quickly learned our children would pay slightly more attention to strangers than they would their parents, so we adopted each other’s kids. This fellow was teaching the boys to lay their glove down for grounders. While baseball was the topic, the diamond was the boy’s fascination. After practice, Pa asked Davey if he had fun playing baseball. He said “they have great dirt!”

Mommy Has Boys

2011-05-08T10:00:00.003-05:00

Some ladies get flowers from their children for Mother’s Day. Others receive handmade gifts, inexpensive jewelry or pampering gifts. While those are fine offerings for some mothers, our twin’s mother requires something special. Her gift needs to thoughtfully bond her closer to her sons. At this age, what could do this better than a ball glove and a bag of t-balls? She had been using an old dry-rotted glove that hurt her hand. This new fur-lined model is designed to pamper her and protect her delicate hand from the sting of a well thrown fast-ball. What could be more considerate?

Impromptu Derby Party

2011-05-07T10:00:00.002-05:00

We didn’t plan it. Sure, we knew the Bells were going to be in town this weekend visiting their parents, and we knew Dawn planned an Owensboro trip to have dinner with us, and we knew it was Derby Day, but no efforts were made to coordinate these things together. These distant planets just suddenly aligned together all at the right time, and we found a house full of people just before post time. We moved some chairs, poured ice tea, quickly picked a favorite horse and began cheering. Two minutes later, it was all over and we were free to visit.

Backyard Practice

2011-05-06T10:00:00.003-05:00

Between storms, we have managed to make it out back to practice our basic baseball skills to prepare for our first t-ball season. Aunt Susan gave us our beginners t-ball set which includes a stand, a plastic bat and large plastic ball. These plastic toys are very safe and even a direct hit will likely create no injuries. On previous occasions we learned on the plastic equipment, but now was the time to progress to the next step. We purchased a small aluminum t-ball bat and official t-balls, which are like baseballs only softer. Both boys were eager to give it a try butlost interest quickly. I hope baseball fever catches their interest soon as t-ball season is quickly approaching.

Benchmark Birthday Photo – 3 Years 5 Months

2011-05-05T10:00:00.004-05:00

The verbal sparing has begun, and they have begun conceiving the cutest little arguments and manipulations. Each night about 30 minutes after lights out Benji will call out to his mother. He’ll explain that he’s awake because he has a huge problem and a little problem. “What’s your huge problem?” Sandy will ask. “Monsters” he’ll reply, and his small problem is “I want you.” When asked to do something he doesn’t want to do, Trey Davey has developed a number of excuses: I’m tired, I don’t feel good, I’m sick, I need my blanket, I have to pee pee (or pooh pooh). Benji’s excuses for not following directions include: I have an ouchy, I have a broken nail, I can’t find Spot (a stuffed animal), my puppy needs a blanket, and I think it’s my birthday. What will they come up with when they’re four?

Bleacher Training

2011-05-04T10:00:00.001-05:00

Carol took vacation this week. The boys and I got up early and headed to the Christian Life Center to exercise. We would have preferred to visit the park, but it was another rainy spring day. Once in the gymnasium, the boys weren’t particularly interested in basketball. What fascinated them were the bleachers. As long as they were exercising, it didn’t really matter what game they were playing. At first they climbed on, over and under the aluminum fixtures, and then Benji asked for their steamer trains. Once they had their Geo-Trax in hand, our little engineers go to work. Each train traveled along a long bleacher seat from end to end some 60 feet, and then climbed up a row, reversed course and then traveled the long route again. Back and forth, up and down the bleacher rows they railroaded for almost an hour.

Camping Out close to home

2011-05-03T10:00:00.001-05:00

After a long winter, we were ready to go outside and play this spring, but March, April and May showers have kept us inside and looking for new games to play. Mommy showed them how to make their own tent using their large Thomas blankets. Like all children, our boys enjoy their little places and have set up camp in this secure space between their beds. Davey brought his trusty 'circle' blanket and whatever train he had in his hand at that moment. Benji packed for the event, like his Mommy does. He made sure they had his 'square' blanket, a large number of his stuffed animals, several varieties of trains and a flashlight, just in case.

The Ants Go Marching

2011-05-02T10:00:00.002-05:00

One of the predictable results of all the spring rains and flooding is the emergence of the ants. We have a lot of tiny ants both inside and outside our house. Ever since we saw the Disney Pixar movie “A Bug’s Life”, the boys have been interested in bugs, especially ants. They call to one another and point them out as if it were an extraordinary discovery. One problem with that movie was the memorable frightening presence of the villain wasps. While real wasps are to be respected and feared, the boys have extended that concern to all things flying including house flies. They haven’t yet learned the cliché “not even a fly can hurt you”.

Pa’s Belated Birthday

2011-05-01T10:00:00.001-05:00

This year, Easter fell on Pa’s birthday. Rather than blending the two events, we postponed his celebration a few days in order to give him his proper due. Because Granny wasn’t feeling well, the party was set for the next Sunday evening. As has become our tradition, we enjoyed his birthday dinner at The Olive Garden restaurant. After the boys led us in a fine version of “Happy Birthday”, Pa opened his cards and gift. He received both a digital camera and Benji’s instructions on how to properly use it. Who says that old dogs can’t learn a trick or two from their puppies?

Read Around The Park

2011-04-30T10:00:00.002-05:00

The Junior League of Owensboro offered a “Read Around the Park” event today at Moreland Park. There were games with books given away as prizes. Owensboro High School football players in several locations read stories to the children and dressed as characters from children’s books. Benji and Trey Davey recognized the Cat-in-the-Hat, but the six foot plus tall feline scared them, and they wouldn’t go near him. However, the moment they saw “Clifford the Big Red Dog”, they ran to him with hugs for a long lost friend. We have read a number of Clifford books, and he is among their favorites. While not a reading activity, the boy’s favorite activity was a giant inflatable bounce house with an attached slide. They would slide down, run around and climb up to the top to slide down again and again. The naps came easily this afternoon.

Stow’n Go, Very Cool

2011-04-29T10:00:00.001-05:00

Our new(er) van rocks! It has so many new features that our older van didn’t. One of the best new gadgets is the stow’n go seats. Our ‘98 Caravan had easy-out roller seats, which allowed us to unlatch and roll our bench seats out of the van when cargo space was needed. We typically kept our third-row seat in storage and would have to go get it and lift it back in the van when we needed a fifth passenger seat. Our 2005 Town and Country’s stow’n go seats fold completely into under-floor compartments when extra cargo space is desired. When we decided to take all six of us together in the van to Evansville last Friday, I just unfolded the third row seats from the floorboard and locked them in an upright position. It took about 30 seconds. Now how cool is that?

Ice in April

2011-04-28T10:00:00.000-05:00

Tonight we were playing in the living room after dinner and watching TV when I heard something rattling the windows. It sounded like someone pouring pennies out a bucket, and the noise intensity kept increasing. The boys and I jumped up and ran to the dining room windows to see pea-sized hail falling on our front lawn. The sharp little falling ice pellets shredded the leaves on the trees and bounced on the ground. Near our window, a column of ice flowed down powerfully from our roof’s valley and crushed the plants where it hit the ground. When it stopped a few minutes later, the ground was cover in white as if it had snowed. The boys had many questions that I couldn’t answer. Soon, the rain and warm evening temperature melted all the ice in April, but not before we snapped a photograph.

Mexican Railroad Dominoes

2011-04-27T10:00:00.001-05:00

When Grandma Roe visits, Benji begins looking for her red bag. He knows where she keeps her gifts. This time she brought Mexican Railroad Dominoes with the intention of teaching them the game Mexican Train. Emanating from a central hub, each player creates one or more chains, or “trains”, with the object of playing all the dominoes in his or her hand. Each player is given a special little engine piece, which is part of the game. Unfortunately, our three-year olds’ fascination with the game pieces prevented her success in teaching them the actual game on this visit, but perhaps by her next visit they will be mature enough to ride the Mexican train.

Bunker Training

2011-04-26T10:00:00.001-05:00

For the fourth time in eight days, the sound of the sirens sent us to the basement during a tornado warning. This one was a surprise, so we were not as prepared. Before, we had watched the severe thunderstorms approaching on television and packed bags to take downstairs if needed. This one just came out of the blue, and we only had time to grab the boys and head downstairs. Needing to occupy the twins’ attention, Daddy slipped around the corner to a secret place in the basement and emerged with a small bag of new Thomas trains. For the boys, all thoughts of tornados were instantly forgotten, and Great Grandmother Mac’s couch was suddenly transformed into a train station. They were almost sad to leave when the all-clear was given.

Mall Walk

2011-04-25T10:00:00.002-05:00

Cabin fever was affecting everyone, especially the boys. Day after day of rain had prohibited their ability to go outside and play. Needing to blow off steam, Daddy and Grandma Roe took the boys to Town Square Mall Saturday to exercise. We started out holding their hands, but it felt like being pulled by a powerful motorboat without the benefit of water skies, so we let them loose. Pushing rope uphill might be easier than directing two loose three-year-olds through a crowded mall. There was too much to see and explore. Thankfully, the twins did yield to our pleas to stick together. The mall was neither crowded nor empty, which was a blessing. We could have easily lost them in a crowd and their excited screams to each new discovery were barely heard above the other shoppers’ noise. It was a fun and productive activity.

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T10:00:00.001-05:00

What a blessed Easter this was. It wasn’t perfect. Rain prevented an outside egg hunt and Grandmother Edds wasn’t feeling very well, but we had our precious family around us to worship, visit and share the special season. Grandma and Granddaddy Roe traveled all the way from Florida to spend the holiday with us. We rose early Sunday morning, got everyone dressed and fed, and then the six of us headed to a very full church service. Afterwards we enjoyed a fine brunch at home and, for the boys, a finer afternoon nap. After Pa and Granny arrived later that afternoon, we got the boys up and gathered in the living room where baskets were waiting. Davey and Benji then began collecting the eggs hidden around the downstairs area. Sandy prepared a delicious Easter dinner for us and everyone had a wonderful time.

Bunker Sweet Bunker

2011-04-23T10:00:00.001-05:00

It was like the theme of the 1993 movie “Groundhog’s Day”, where the protagonist finds himself repeating the same day over and over again. For us, it was a line of severe thunderstorms moving along a route from Dallas to the Great Lakes with our house right on that path. Every day for over a week, the weatherman would predict the same storm coming at us. Most of these severe thunderstorms included tornado activities. We had already made a midnight run to the basement on Tuesday night and welcomed the Grands to join us on our midnight Friday visit. Jim and Karen had enjoyed the full basement experience on a previous stay, but on this trip they were blessed with two bunker visits as sirens sent us downstairs again on Saturday afternoon. Sandy is seriously considering installing a refreshment station to create a homier little bunker.

A Good Friday in E’ville

2011-04-22T10:00:00.002-05:00

Good Friday was a company holiday for Sandy this year. We wanted to do something fun with Grandma and Granddaddy Roe, but it was a rainy day outside so we decided to drive to Evansville and visit their Museum of Transportation. Inside they have a number of fine transportation exhibits, but our favorite is the model trains. This 1950’s vignette of downtown Evansville features three moving HO gauge trains. The large model is actually constructed inside a real remodeled passenger train car. Outside is a full sized steam locomotive with a club car and a caboose all under roof, which was a blessing on this rainy old day. The boys enjoyed showing the grands all the features of the museum’s exhibits and running merrily around the empty train station.

Family Prayers

2011-04-21T10:00:00.001-05:00

One night several weeks ago, we showed the boys how to pray before bedtime. Kneeling down at the foot of our bed, we began by learning the children’s prayer “now I lay me down to sleep”. Benji quickly memorized it and Davey wasn’t far behind. After each standard prayer, we would remember various people in our lives and ask God to help them with their issues or thank God for our blessings. It has become a nightly family ritual. Grandma and Granddaddy Roe arrived here for a stay this afternoon, and after a nice meal and visit, they joined us for family prayers before bedtime.

Benji’s Bear Care Project

2011-04-20T10:00:00.001-05:00

In addition to polar bear articles, Mommy has acquired quite a collection of brown bear items too. When the twins came along, a lot of her ornamental bears went into hyperactive storage. This wooden bear holding his welcome sign has been able to avoid the cave and found a home in our bedroom. Benji is a very perceptive child and is prone to making quite insightful observations about things. He noticed this bear one day on his way to the bathroom and returned to suggest that bear was lonely. He then gathered together some of his bears and some of their friends to visit the lonely bear in our bedroom. Once the grisly was presumably cheered up, he and his friends returned to their own bedroom.

Tornado Warning

2011-04-19T10:00:00.000-05:00

Benji, I had the strangest dream last night. We were sleeping peacefully in our beds when sirens sounded. I then felt like I was being scooped up and carried away. I was tired and didn’t open my eyes but had the sensation of descending two flights of steps wrapped in my pillow and blanket, and then coming to rest on a cool, soft surface in a dark, damp place. It was comfortable and soon I drifted back to sleep in spite of the sound of footsteps making trips up and down stairs. Later, I was aware of the television weatherman talking and the sound of a hard rain outside. I must have drifted back to sleep because I was again startled by a lifting sensation and the feeling of ascending upstairs. It must have been a dream because I woke up this morning safe in my own bed.

Davey TV

2011-04-18T10:00:00.001-05:00

Trey Davey is consistent. His television preferences mirror his eating habits; he is not adventurous. Davey would prefer a diet limited to only his established favorites rather than try anything new. This can be very discouraging for the care taker, who is trying to introduce our young man to a vast world of new and interesting things, but Davey’s enthusiasm for his few favorites is charming and contagious. Trains are his favorite. Turn on the program Chuggington or insert a Thomas DVD and he’ll watch with complete focus and concentration. Just about any train program will captivate him. He also likes many of the Disney Jr. shows such as Oso, Jake and the Neverland Pirates and The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Davey is very sensitive and rejects anything he perceives as scary, even the train in the movie Casper. We don’t want to encourage more TV viewing, just a wider variety.

Easter Baskets on Palm Sunday

2011-04-17T10:00:00.001-05:00

The boys (sort of) enjoyed the fruits of their labors during the Easter egg hunt yesterday. While they were sleeping last night, Mommy replaced the candy in the eggs with healthy snacks such as animal crackers, yogurt raisins, and Goldfish. At some point, the boys are going to discover what they are missing, but we’ve been able to keep them on the healthy path for more than three years now. Sandy’s OMOM friends have been astonished that we’ve been able to keep our boys away from candy and fried food for so long. It really hasn’t been that difficult except at Easter and Halloween.

OMOM’s Egg Hunt

2011-04-16T10:00:00.001-05:00

Today the Owensboro Mother’s of Multiples organization hosted an Easter Egg hunt at the Owensboro Museum of Science and History. They used the Playzeum room, which is an indoor playground. The Owensboro Rotary Club raised the money to build the Playzeum back when Pa and Daddy were members. Today we had seven families participate with seven pairs of twins plus a few older siblings. As veterans of last year’s hunt, Trey Davey and Benji knew exactly what to do and quickly collected their quota of eggs. Then they climbed all over the indoor playground equipment until they were exhausted.

Seeing Double

2011-04-15T10:00:00.002-05:00

We were recently shopping in our local Target store when we saw our Owensboro Mothers of Multiples friend Kasey and her three daughters. Katarina is the oldest, and Kaley and Kelsey are her twin sisters. Those twins look about the same age as our boys, but are actually more than a year older. They will begin kindergarten in the fall. Judging by all the blushing, giggling and bashfulness, these twin girls are attracted to our younger men, and Trey Davey is quite pleased with all the attention. On this day, Benji seemed unimpressed with the pretty girls and more focused on climbing on the shopping carts.

Monster Truck

2011-04-14T10:00:00.001-05:00

There really are monsters out there, and this is Benji’s and Trey Davey’s favorite. It is usually parked about a mile from our house at a car lot on the northwest corner of 20^th and Triplett Streets. This is along a common route we take to the city’s east side, and every time we head in that direction the boys want to go see the Monster Truck. Recently, the truck was moved across the street and parked on top of a small Japanese car to attract attention to a new business on that busy street. The boys went crazy when they first saw it and wanted to go see it. The highly modified Ford pickup is actually a publicity tool for the Daviess County Sherriff’s Department to illustrate their efforts to crush local Meth labs. All the boys understand is the big green machine is cool.

Benji’s Slide

2011-04-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

I love this slide. All I can think about as I slip quickly through its cylinder is how mature it makes me feel. The folks wouldn’t even let Davey and me play on this equipment the first time we visited this park. Instead, we had to play on the preschool structure. That’s a fine unit, but way to elementary for my skills. I wanted to climb on the big boy unit designed for kids 5 to 12 years old. They let me try it on our next visit, and I immediately climbed up into the lower clubhouse, then up a ladder to the upper clubhouse. Daddy helped me the first time while Mommy worried. Once I slid down the two-story slide that first time I owned it. It was mine. And from then on, I wanted to do it again and again, all by myself.

The Legacy House

2011-04-12T10:00:00.002-05:00

Downtown multi-family housing units are commonly grand old homes that have been subdivided into apartments. What caught Pa and Granny’s eye about this home in 1970 was that it was solidly designed as a 4-plex money-maker. It is located on a quaint little street one block from Brescia University. Great Grandmother Embry bought it from them in 1980, and she lived in one unit and rented the other three units to provide her with retirement income. For 25 years, we visited her here every few weeks. When her mother died in 2005, Granny inherited the house back into her possession. The boys and I visited the grands here today to see the many improvements they’ve made over the last few years. As solidly as this nearly 100 year old house is built, it may be providing retirement income for the boys many years from now.

Air Hockey Dave

2011-04-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

We went to a birthday party recently at a place called U-Bounce where they had this funny looking game. I watched some of the older boys play it, and then gave it a try myself. It is called air hockey. Air is blown through little holes in the top of this table, and that makes this little red disc float, which is kind of fun to watch. I pushed it around with my finger, and it slid all over the table. Another boy showed me how to hit the disc with this short plastic bat and make it go fast around the table. That was fun except when it slipped under the table top seam and into a shelf below. That was really annoying. Someone should repair that slot in the table so the disc won’t slip inside.

Little Engineers

2011-04-10T10:00:00.000-05:00

As the temperatures outside have risen, we have begun to dip more and more into the t-shirt and shorts drawer. There we have found a number of new clothing articles that are now large enough to wear. Among our new threads are these train engineer t-shirts. Mommy bought them for us last summer at the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania. She bought them one size too big so the shirts would fit us this summer. We opened them at Christmas, but forgot about them. Today we were able to wear them for the first time. To complete the ensemble, we donned our Chattanooga Choo Choo engineer’s caps and played with our trains all morning.

Happy Birthday Mommy

2011-04-09T10:00:00.002-05:00

I first met Sandy in person the weekend before her birthday. Counting that first one, this is the eighth birthday she’s shared with me. While The Olive Garden has become our favorite choice for birthday celebrations, each has been different and its own unique blessing. My parents joined us beginning the second year and for every year afterward. I’m not sure Sandy fully envisioned four of her birthdays ago when we started down the parental path how precious the sound would be of her twin boys singing “Happy Birthday” to her, but tonight she enjoyed their serenade. By looking at her smile you can tell Sandy loves celebrating her special day with her local family.

Twins on Tandem

2011-04-08T10:00:00.002-05:00

This bicycle-built-for-two has been in Great Uncle Gene Ray’s family for nearly half a century. The newspaper featured a photo of Great Aunt Peaches and him riding it back in 1974. Cousins Marc and Logan rode it over to our house today to say hello. Sometimes called a twin, the technical term for this type of bicycle is a tandem, which refers to the seating arrangement (fore to aft, not side-by-side), not the number of riders. A bike with two riders seated side-by-side is called a sociable. Marc says the tandem is easier to maneuver city streets than two separate bikes riding side by side and easier for the riders to talk than two bikes riding front to back. Our twins can’t quite reach the pedals yet, but maybe we’ll find a tandem of our own by the time they can.

Big Boy Chairs

2011-04-07T10:00:00.001-05:00

There’s been a change in our eating habits in restaurants these days. For several months now, the boys have been resisting high chairs. Sandy and I liked high chairs because they strapped down and contained the children, and I suppose the twins disliked them for the same reasons. When we noticed their legs hanging down below the foot rests, we acknowledged the time had come to consider other options. In most restaurants, a booster seat is still required in order to elevate our preschoolers up to table level. This use of booster seats has also required moving from tables to booths, where the booster seat is more stable. Also, a select few restaurants offer seating that accommodates the boys without any boosters at all. They just love sitting at the table like big boys.

Visiting Cousins

2011-04-06T10:00:00.001-05:00

This was Julie’s cleaning day, and we always take our afternoon naps in the car on those days. After the boys awoke, we called Great Aunt Gay Nell (Peaches) to see if she was available for a visit. She said that her son Marc and grandson Logan were there from Lexington and invited us to come over and join them. Mark is my closest cousin in age and we were roommates in college. Logan is 10 years old and shares the twin’s affinity for trains. As soon as we arrived, Logan started bringing out his train books and toys to show his little second cousins. Soon Aunt Peaches’ quiet home was filled with Edds boys happily laying around and talking all about choo choos.

Birthday Benchmark Photos – 3 Years 4 Months

2011-04-05T10:00:00.002-05:00

Our boys have now turned 40….months old. At this advanced age, development is slower and changes are more subtle from month to month than in their first year. It is difficult to say, for instance, that they have made any noticeable advances since last month’s benchmark photo other than they are now flying the black and gold colors of Mommy’s University of Missouri over the blue and white colors of Daddy’s University of Kentucky that they wore last month. Noticeable, but immeasurable, is the volume of concepts they are beginning to understand. For instance, they know Missouri is Mommy’s team and Kentucky is Daddy’s team, and when they see either team’s logo show up on TV or on a license plate, they point it out. When you consider that they don’t yet read, this is amazing.

Movie Night with the Grands

2011-04-04T10:00:00.000-05:00

Sandy had a doctor’s appointment in Nashville today, so we made arrangements for Pa and Granny to babysit. Our trip was delayed by over an hour due to severe storms in Nashville. In fact, the Vanderbilt University Medical Center was locked down for a time as the storm passed directly over us. For this period, all offices and waiting rooms were evacuated and everyone was directed to stand in hallways. At home, the twins lobbied their grandparents for a DVD after dinner. They selected their current favorite movie, 1,001 Dalmatians, and loaded it into the DVD player. A button must have been mistakenly pushed because the movie began playing in French. Pa and Granny got a big kick out of the gaffe, and since the boys didn’t complain, they left it alone. The Grands were surprised how well they could follow the story, even in a foreign language.

Cruising Dairy Queen

2011-04-03T10:00:00.000-05:00

Yesterday’s warm weather encouraged us to play and exercise outside. We were having so much fun that we failed to check the clock and allowed lunchtime to come without any preparation. As a special treat, we decided to walk a couple of blocks over to Dairy Queen for lunch. The boys, sporting nifty sunglasses, rode in style in their new stagecoach wagon. Not having any way to secure our ride outside, we drove the wagon right into the restaurant. Upon seeing us arrive wheeling the boys behind us, friends already dining there said with a smile, “we had no idea that this was a drive-in Dairy Queen.”

Gone, but not Forgotten

2011-04-02T10:00:00.002-05:00

Their riding trains appeared under the tree on Christmas morning, and then disappeared two days later. Mommy and Daddy quickly determined that these toys were too big and loud for indoors, so just as quickly as they appeared, the two shiny trains were gone again. In response to their frequent requests, we promised to get their riding trains out once it was warm and dry enough to go outside. Today was the day; the weather was accommodating and the batteries were charged. The boys helped me lay the tracks, and then they rode the rails to their hearts’ content.

Junior Prom

2011-04-01T10:00:00.000-05:00

It seems like it was just yesterday when the boys were starting preschool, and now they are attending their Junior Prom. For various reasons, neither of their parents attended any of their proms, but our twins are not following those dance steps; they are stepping out on their own. Not that they have a lot of free time to chase girls, with all their academic and athletic demands, but they don’t have to – the girls are calling them, constantly, day and night. Who could blame them? Brains, brawn, and boyish good looks are a powerful combination. The novelty of being twins has always brought them positive attention, and now with their classroom and ball field accomplishments, their fan base has greatly expanded, especially among young girls. Let us hope that our hunks can keep it all in prospective and just enjoy this April first event.

Davey’s Parade

2011-03-31T10:00:00.001-05:00

Each year, we have had the privilege of a dry, climate-controlled second-floor window seat for the Owensboro Christmas Parade. On a few occasions, we have also watched Thanksgiving Day parades on television. As it has been many months since our last parade, I would think those events would have been long forgotten by our preschoolers, but apparently not. The other day Trey Davey selected each of his fire trucks and emergency vehicles and lined them up bumper to bumper. He loves to align and count things. When he was finished, he announce that he was having a parade. I had a wonderful view and stayed through the entire progression.

Stopping Off on the way Home

2011-03-30T10:00:00.001-05:00

On Wednesdays we visit The Little House of Learning from 8:30 am until 11:00 am. From the moment I arrive at the door to pick them up, the boys begin lobbying for the park. The school is located not far from Legion Park, and we do have an open hour to play before lunch. Unfortunately, most weeks have been either too cold or wet to go, but today was just right. The boys were very excited by this opportunity and ran from station to station in order to squeeze in as much play as possible in an hour. When lunch time came there was a little resistance to our departure, but the food was enthusiastically greeted and the nap was actively embraced.

Bull’s-eye

2011-03-29T10:00:00.000-05:00

Right in the center of our local Target store is the toy department, and right in the center of that area is the Thomas the Train toy section. Our boys know it well. At every opportunity, they shoot to that Target’s center point faster than William Tell’s arrows. It is interesting that they have never asked us to buy them anything, possibly because they may not yet know this is a possibility. From their prospective, toys arrive to them only as gifts, usually wrapped for special occasions. I’m sure they never considered how the giver acquired the toy initially. For them, at this point at least, the toys in stores are like those found in school or church – there to play with, but not to take home. When they learn the truth, Sandy and I will have to guard our shopping carts from little hands.

On the job Training

2011-03-28T10:00:00.000-05:00

These days, our schedules always seem to be full of things needing to be remodeled, repaired, restored, repainted or rearranged. The difficulty of these tasks increases considerably when curious little boys wedge themselves between you and your work in an effort to see what you are doing. More difficult still is fielding all your little auditor’s questions about your task. With an engineer as a mother and a father who was raised in a hardware store, it is only fitting that our twins would be mechanically inclined. Perhaps if we are patient now with our explanations and training, the payoff to that investment will be self-reliant children who can help out with some of these tasks in the near future.

Thomas & Friends Magazine

2011-03-27T10:00:00.000-05:00

When Sandy saw this publication, she immediately subscribed to it for the boys. Published eight times a year, Thomas & Friends Magazine brings to life the magical world of the little blue tank engine for early learners. Each issue is filled with charming stories, a collectible poster, and a workbook filled with fun, educational activities designed to put children on the right track to improving their early learning skills while having fun with their beloved friends from the island of Sodor. Every issue includes activities that focus on reading skills, creativity, counting, and cognitive skills. The table of contents provides a key for parents explaining the icons that are associated with each type of skill or activity. We look forward to receiving each new issue, and I’m quite certain that we’ll continue to subscribe for as long as our sons continue to be interested in Thomas the Tank Engine.

Our Stagecoach

2011-03-26T10:00:00.001-05:00

Mommy’s OMOM’s group held their semiannual rummage sale today, and we talked her into buying us a stagecoach. Sure, we already have a deluxe wooden wagon, but it is based on a hay wagon design (flat bed with removable sides). This less expensive plastic model is based on a stagecoach design. A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for goods and passengers. Before the passenger train era, these coaches made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers. Like a stagecoach, our little wagon has seats with passengers seated face to face. There were two at the sale to choose from, and we picked the one without a tarp cover. It’s lighter than our big wagon, which makes it easier for little boys to pull each other.

Our Favorite Songs

2011-03-25T10:00:00.001-05:00

I suppose all children love music. We have always played and sung songs to the boys. At first they just listened and took comfort by the music. As they got older, they began dancing to the music and would sing along. Now we have noticed them singing songs on their own while playing or winding down for a nap. We’ve made a list and here are their current top 10 favorite songs in no particular order: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, I’ve been working on the Railroad, Down by the Station, The Thomas Theme, The Wheels on the Train (bus), Old McDonald, Chattanooga Choo Choo, The Itsy Bitsy Spider, Happy Birthday and Row, Row, Row Your Boat.

Our Puzzle Master

2011-03-24T10:00:00.001-05:00

Trey Davey loves puzzles, especially those of Thomas the Train. He is very adept at matching colors and objects in the picture. We began on simple wooden jigsaw puzzles of just a few pieces and have advanced to larger puzzles of a couple dozen pieces. Historically, an artist would paint a beautiful image on a wooden sheet, and then use a jigsaw to cut his painting into interlocking tiles to create a puzzle. These works were aptly named jigsaw puzzles. While today’s versions are made of cardboard and cut by a laser, they are just as much fun as always. Jigsaw puzzles are also excellent tools for developing problem solving skills. Davey may well be learning the art of solving a mystery.

Front Porch Serenade

2011-03-23T10:00:00.002-05:00

The wind carried a tune to our ears as we ventured outside today to enjoy a pleasant spring day. Following the sound around the house to the front then across the lawn to the house next door we found our hero, Zach, practicing his guitar. He is thirteen and loves lawnmowers and guitars. A few years ago I took him to the music store to select a beginner’s guitar as payment for mowing our lawn. We made that trip several more time over the years to trade up or add to his collection. If the temperature is above freezing, Zach is usually outside doing something interesting. The boys have watched him from their window upstairs, but prefer hanging out with him on the porch.

Bitten by the Bug

2011-03-22T10:00:00.001-05:00

We were an hour away from home when the boys woke from their afternoon nap. The twins and I had been driving around while Julie cleaned our house. After stopping for a snack, we were just about to leave when Benji projectile vomited all over himself, his car seat and the floor board. It took a few minutes to calm him down, change him and drive to a car wash to hose everything down. I strapped his dripping wet car seat on the luggage rack, buckled Benji in the front seat and headed towards home. He seemed fine but tossed his cookies again about halfway home. Luckily, most of it went into the blanket he was holding, and that nasty thing soon joined the seat on top of the van. By the time we reached home, everyone was exhausted. Benji’s bug passed in 24 hours, and then he was fine.

Happy 70th Anniversary Alice and Jack

2011-03-21T10:00:00.002-05:00

Yesterday we traveled to Elizabethtown, Kentucky to attend the 70^th wedding anniversary of Minnie Alice and Jack Scott. Alice is my maternal grandmother’s first cousin and an ordained Methodist minister. They were close, and Alice offered an outstanding eulogy at Grandmother Embry’s funeral. The Scotts produce an extended family newsletter, which has been an invaluable resource to my ancestral research. We asked them the secret to being married for seven decades. She said “marry young, treasure every moment and live a very long life.” Since we blew the first step, Sandy and I are focusing on over achieving on the second two secrets. I hope the twins go all out for our 70^th,as a reward for us living to the age of 110.

Spring Swing Training

2011-03-20T10:00:00.001-05:00

Since the boys love to swing so much, I thought I would try to teach them to push each other, and it was much more difficult than I expected. The pendulum concept was beyond them. They wanted to push and follow the seat like a shopping cart. Once I convinced then to stand still and let the swing return to them, they would punch the seat back like you were pushing a heavy box deeper onto a shelf. The impact would stop the swinging motion altogether. I never realized that the job was all about precisely engaging a slow moving object and boosting its forward speed with a well timed push. Suddenly, I felt like a middle school science teacher with a class full of preschoolers. Six year old AnnaKaye Roberts came over from next door and actually taught them how to do it properly.

U-Bounce Fun

2011-03-19T10:00:00.001-05:00

Now this is a party! The twins were the guests today of Peyton Hamilton at U-Bounce, an inflatable amusement facility. Peyton is a male triplet with two sisters. His parents, bless their hearts, hosted a dual themed birthday party with boys enjoying a Batman motif and the girls bejeweled by Tinkerbell. The Hamiltons are also members of the OMOMs group, who visited a similar facility last year in Evansville. At that time, our boys were a little young and unsure of themselves, but now they are just the right age for this kind of fun. They climbed, jumped, slid and bounded around the various stations as fast as they could go. It goes without saying that they slept hard that afternoon.

Making Connections

2011-03-18T10:00:00.002-05:00

The boys are become more challenging every day and you really have to continually step up your game if you wish to keep up with them. When they were small, I could recite the Gettysburg Address while turning pages to their children’s books, and they wouldn’t have known the difference. Today, that wouldn’t work. These boys are sharp. They are making the connection between the characters they know from TV and movies to those we read about in their books. Their memories are sharp, and they remember details. If you mispronounce a name, they correct you. While you are reading, they will point out and name each character on every page. It is all starting to come together for them and unravel for me. I’ve got to get the story straight or face being corrected by three year olds.

St. Patrick’s Train

2011-03-17T10:00:00.000-05:00

Mommy teased Daddy about buying us St. Patrick’s Day t-shirts last year just so he would have a photo opportunity for the blog. It wasn’t a very prudent purchase to buy t-shirts that could only be worn one day she reasoned. She was right. When Daddy dug them out of the drawer for this year’s annual photo, he found we had outgrown them by a considerable amount. Before he became too despondent though, Mommy produced these lucky day green train shirts. They were perfect for this holiday and appropriate to wear all summer. Daddy really did get lucky when Mommy found him.

Happy Birthday Aunt Kristin

2011-03-16T10:00:00.000-05:00

What do we have to do to wish Aunt Kristin a happy birthday, stand on our heads? Well, we are heals over heads excited by the year she’s had. After all, she became a mommy since we last saw her last summer. Dad said life has really changed for him and Mom since we were born, and I bet life has really changed for Aunt Kris and Uncle Wes too since Chesney was born. We look forward to seeing them all this summer and judging the change for ourselves. No matter what, I bet they are just as fun as ever. I don’t know for sure; I’m just going by the seat of my pants.

Annual Checkup

2011-03-15T10:00:00.001-05:00

It had been over a year since we last visited our pediatrician, Dr. Don Neel. No shots were required for this visit. It was just a check up and an opportunity to collect the paperwork required for preschool. We have been so fortunate over the last year to be healthy enough not to require Dr. Neel’s services. What surprised him most about this visit was how clearly and how much they were taking. He was inundated with a volley of questions about every test he administered. For every one he could answer, three more were asked. Welcome to Twin Speaks, Don. He checked them all over and declared them each to be in outstanding health.

Caught with Timeout Contraband

2011-03-14T10:00:00.001-05:00

They fight like brothers do, but don’t get between them, because their bond is as strong as twin brothers can be. As we endure the training regiment necessary to groom fine young men, it is necessary on a regular basis to sentence one or both boys to the timeout area in order to calm them down, get their attention or reprimand bad behavior. On this particular day, Benji was the offender and was serving his sentence in the red chair. To comfort him, Davey brought the wrongdoer a snack and voluntarily served the penalty time kneeling beside his brother until Benji’s liberty was restored. At the moment of this photo, neither boy was sure whether this show of unity was acceptable behavior or another offence.

Daddy’s New Blackberry

2011-03-13T10:00:00.000-05:00

I received a new Blackberry cell phone for my birthday. My old one was 7 years old, prehistoric by technology standards. In fact, the AT&T phone store clerks were facinated by my “antique”. This one is like the Swiss army knife of cell phones. It’s a mini computer with a full keyboard. I can compose and receive e-mail and text messenges, surf the web, and play games. It’s a PDA with a calendar, notebook, tasks manager and contact information. It’s an Ipod capable of playing Mp3 songs or audio books or dozens of Internet radio staions. It’s a still and a video camera capable of taking some pretty good pictures if you can hold it steady, which is impossible if you are also holding exuberant boys in front of a mirror as this photo testifies. Oh, it’s a phone too.

Happy Birthday Daddy

2011-03-12T10:00:00.000-06:00

I almost expected to be depressed by this benchmark. The zero years (30 & 40) never bothered me, but for many reasons turning 26 & 37 really did. Those were times of extreme career and personal frustration, misdirection and helplessness. I couldn’t see God’s purpose for my life. This birthday, number 48, would have been the next in that 11 year cycle, but that blue tradition has been broken. The reason for my happiness is family. God has blessed me with those pictured here plus my wonderful wife and in-laws. Family has always been important to me and the boys have really bonded us all together like nothing else before. My life has a new direction and purpose, and I couldn’t be happier. Jobs will come and go. Awards will be celebrated and forgotten, but God’s gift of family is the greatest birthday present a man could ever receive.

If It Ain’t Broke

2011-03-11T10:00:00.001-06:00

Change is difficult for many people. In trying to transition Trey Davey from his beloved toddler Cozy Coupe to a new preschooler tricycle, we have met resistance. He loves his car even though he’s physically outgrown it. Research finds children especially more comfortable in their routines and with familiar places, objects and faces because they lack the control over their lives that adults enjoy. When they find themselves in the midst of change, children can feel confused, afraid and even hostile. On the other hand, children are very adaptable to change, especially when they are prepared well in advance. We intend to transition to tricycles by vacation time and believe sentimental Davey will be ready by then to move on from his first love to begin a summer romance with his new three wheeled friend.

Got His Poop Together

2011-03-10T10:00:00.001-06:00

We are so proud of our boys. Sandy and I commented recently that we can’t remember the last “accident” they had. After months of toilet training, our twins seem to have mastered self control. Now it helps that we have created an environment of readily accessible facilities and have made it a point to encourage potty visits on regular intervals, but the boys' success is completely their own. Benji, in particular, has embraced the activity as a favorite pastime. In fact, he often makes a nuisance of himself by constantly visiting the facility to sit on his Thomas toilet seat and read his Thomas books. Annoying as his frequent visits can be, his track record has been so good that we no longer bother with Pull-ups for naps.

Little House of Training

2011-03-09T10:00:00.001-06:00

The boys’ second week at the Little House of Learning went just as smoothly as the first. They were excited to go, made no fuss when we left and Ms. Jennifer said they were very good boys during their stay. Not surprisingly, one area she said they really enjoyed was the train table. The facility has an extensive set of wooden Thomas Trains, which are different than those we have at home. We were worried that Ms. Jennifer would have difficulty getting the boys, especially Davey, to play or do anything else, but she said they were very cooperative, which made us proud.

Two Twins Equal a King

2011-03-08T10:00:00.003-06:00

Sandy and I had talked about replacing our mattress for some time. The pillow top model we had enjoyed for many years had broken down to form two deep valleys in the mattress. We interviewed several of our friends who had purchased a wide variety of miracles sleeping systems, some quite costly. The only thing they all suggested was moving up to a king sized bed. We finally selected and purchased a new king memory foam mattress last week. Knowing the stairway and landing were too small to accommodate a bed of this size, I was delighted to see a huge 6’ 8” delivery man who lifted the mattress onto our balcony for easy second floor entry. This big mattress rests on two twin-sized box springs, which seems appropriate when you consider the mattress is about two twins long, two twins wide and one twin tall.

Owensboro Gymnastics

2011-03-07T10:00:00.002-06:00

The OMOMs held a play date at Owensboro Gymnastic and Fitness Center. Sandy wasn’t sure what to expect, imagining advanced activities like the parallel bars and trampolines, which are way too advanced for our preschoolers. They had those, of course, for their older students, but for beginners the facility offered bounce houses, foam pits and padded slides. These stations help cautious children like Davey feel more comfortable with landing after tumbling falls and provide cushion to fearless children like Benji who possess a tendency to enthusiastically leap before they look. All these activities led to huge smiles, lots of giggles and sweaty, tired little boys who barely made it through lunch before they crashed.

Twinonometry

2011-03-06T10:00:00.002-06:00

Our food order was taking an extraordinarly long time to materialize recently, and the boys were becoming hungry and fussy. They had grown bored with their crayons and wanted to eat. Digging in her purse, Sandy found only one toy car for diversion. She handed it to Davey and kept digging for something interesting for Benji. Suddenly she got an inspiration and handed him her calculator. It had lots of buttons to push and displayed numbers for him to count. He was fascinated by it and had to be encouraged to sit it down when our food finally appeared. The next day, Sandy visited the Wal-mart to purchase one green and one blue calculator so each boy would have his own. The restaurant’s check for our next time out was $30.00, the cost of two fascinating boy toys was $2.00, and the value of a peaceful family meal was priceless.

Birthday Benchmark Photo – 3 Years 3 Months

2011-03-05T08:00:00.006-06:00

We are preparing to celebrate March Madness at our house. Our two favorite teams, Kentucky and Florida, have had good seasons and will certainly make it into the NCAA Tournament. The boys are beginning to make the connection between the game they see on TV and the balls and baskets they play with at home and the CLC. Before we know it, they’ll be shooting hoops in the driveway, but they’ll need to grow a little more before they’ll be ready for the hardwood. Still, progress has been made. We could tell Benji had grown, and he has made up a half inch on his brother by growing a full inch over the last three months. Benji now stands 38-1/2 inches tall (68 percentile) and weighs 38 lbs (90 percentile). Davey added a half inch to now stand 39-1/2 inches tall (86 percentile) and weighs 37 lbs (85 percentile).

Gentle Persuasion

2011-03-04T10:00:00.001-06:00

Our twins are distinct individuals, and while Sandy and I want to provide for them equally, they require different approaches from us. Trey Davey has more of an artist’s demeanor. He is talented, passionate, demonstrative and insecure. The boy that we once nicknamed the pleaser has evolved into a rebel by refusing to participate or even cooperate most of the time. If he is into something like trains, he is into it heart and soul. Suggesting he set down his trains for dinner or bedtime will often evoke a dramatic emotional reaction. He doesn’t like change and won’t willingly try new things. First we tried competition with his brother as motivation, but found that ineffective. What works best for us is a little one on one time with him and a gentle nudge of encouragement towards areas outside his comfort zone where his talents will take him far.

Risk Management

2011-03-03T10:00:00.001-06:00

Two of Benji’s characteristics that give his mother and me both great pride and continual concern are his focus and fearlessness. Once he sets his sights on a goal, he attacks it often without concern for the consequences. Many people have grand ideas or goals that are never achieved, not because they lack the talent required but because they are paralyzed by the fear of failure or public ridicule. There is no sin in being a prudent decision maker, but the accolades and often the profits come to those who reach the destination first, and being first is a risky business. Mommy and Daddy won’t always be there to catch him if he slips, so we hope Benji will learn to choose his risks wisely.

First Day of School

2011-03-02T10:00:00.000-06:00

There was no crying as we dropped the boys off today for their first day of school. I’m not even sure they registered this day’s significance, as nothing we did was new. This day’s routines had already been established. We rise every day around 6:00 am, and every Sunday we shower, dress and eat breakfast together before early church. Sunday school has given them exposure to the classroom environment, and they had previously visited The Little House of Learning for an OMOMs’ play date. The Little House of Learning is not a day care; it is a prep-school for preschool, and our goal is for the boys to learn how to sit, listen and participate in group activities, sharing time and attention with the other children. After a few months practice here every Wednesday, they will be ready for preschool in the fall.

Windows on the World

2011-03-01T10:00:00.001-06:00

It was the spoken word that first provided children with a window to a world beyond their own. Story tellers would regale their listeners with adventures and descriptions of fabulous far away places, some real and some imaginary. Listening to a fine story-teller is still one of my favorite activities, whether it is listening to Pa tell one of his family stories, Bruce Springsteen singing about the people he knows, Sandy reading aloud a children’s book, an actor narrating a Ken Burns documentary or some strong voice reading a novel on an audio book. Through experiences like these I have seen more of the world than I could ever possibly touch in a lifetime. Our boys can experience these places too, if they just listen.

Fun for all ages

2011-02-28T10:00:00.001-06:00

We thought a Disney/Pixar movie night might be fun and invited Cousin Levi and the Grands over to screen the 2006 classic “Cars”. This is a movie that continues to elude us. I received a copy for Christmas a few years ago, but loaned it out before we ever watched it. That DVD was never returned. Last summer I picked up another copy at a yard sale and was disappointed to later find it damaged. For this viewing, we borrowed our next door neighbor’s copy, and in spite of the fact that it also had damaged places, we were able to enjoy most of the movie to the end. One mark of an excellent film is its capacity to speak to and entertain multiple generations, and everyone truly enjoyed this flick. When the sequel comes out this summer, we will likely plan a family trip to the theater.

Wreck Room

2011-02-27T10:00:00.001-06:00

Granny and Pa moved to their current home the week I graduated from high school in May 1981. While I initially chose a bedroom upstairs, in time I moved to the basement for added privacy. At that time this large space was used primarily for storage even though it was finished with terrazzo flooring, a drop ceiling and a fireplace. Back then I never imagined seeing my parents down there enjoying the space with me, my wife, sons and nephew, but that is exactly what happened last night. While Sandy was making some modifications to Pa’s computer, the boys ran, rode and climbed all over the place.

Pa’s Ball Team

2011-02-26T10:00:00.001-06:00

We had already planned to visit the CLC this Saturday morning with the intent of venting some of the boy’s pent up winter energy, and when we learned that Cousin Levi was in town visiting the Grands, we invited them along. All the boys are just on the verge of beginning basketball. They are still a little too short to begin dribbling and a little too weak to be able to shoot the ball very high, but they are big and strong enough to be able to pass and catch. Once Levi successfully tossed and caught a bounce pass, Benji wanted to try. As always, Trey Davey was a little hesitant to try, but once he watched the others, he was ready to go. I predict by next season Pa will have his boys running a three man weaving drill.

Ladder of Success

2011-02-25T10:00:00.001-06:00

While Trey Davey may be more extroverted socially than his brother, the opposite is true when it comes to new physical tasks. In that area Davey is very cautious. His movements are measured. He looks before he leaps and makes prudent decisions. He may also lack confidence, fear failure or physical harm. Whatever the reason, he clearly displays more reserve than Benji who may be the antithesis of all those qualities. Typically, Davey needs encouragement with new things. This can best be seen on the playground where he is hesitant and predisposed to quit if something doesn’t come easily. So we were so proud of him when we mastered this unusual ladder. He was scared of it at first, but after we showed him the technique and helped him practice it several times, he was able to climb it all by himself to his great delight.

Happy Birthday Cousin Tyler

2011-02-24T10:00:00.003-06:00

Our Cousin Tyler turned 14 years old today, and given the fact that he is a very handsome and talented young man, we believe he will soon become the next teen idol sensation. Since the mid-sixties, adolescent girls have read all the gossip about their favorite teenage heart throbs in magazines such as 16 and Tiger Beat. When Mommy was a girl, Tiger Beat magazine featured California boys like Bobby Sherman, Donny Osmond, Leif Garrett and Shawn Cassidy. Today’s young hunks include Taylor Lautner, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift and the Jonas Brothers. We believe our Cousin Tyler’s fame will outshine even Justin Bieber’s, and a certain fan magazine’s wanting to jump on his bandwagon will change its name to Tyler Beat.