Cabin Annex

We knew accommodations for the Roe family get-together at the Missouri cabin this summer were going to be challenging. Seven adults and three children were too many people for the small two-bedroom cabin. Add to that the reality that we had groups from all four US time zones there and you have yourself a scheduling conflict. Since we have active little boys, we thought it best that we get a nearby hotel room and chose The Lake House Inn. It worked out great. When we needed to retire or nap or bathe, we just shuffled over to our motel and did our own thing without bothering the others. We could watch Mickey Mouse Playhouse to our hearts content anytime from 6:00 am till 10:00 pm, which was much better than helping Mommy and Daddy pack the car.

Did Michael Phelps start like this?

Most fathers probably dream of their children, especially boys, growing up to become world class athletes. I do, and my desire is for them to enjoy and learn as much from sports as I did. Because my best sport was football, I see them excelling on the gridiron. Basketball and baseball were also favorites in spite of my poor ability to play those sports. I hope my boys will do better with those two than I did. Until now, I hadn’t really considered that they may find their athletic talents lie elsewhere. One possibility may be swimming. Both boys love the water, and Trey Davey was especially enthusiastic about swimming. He showed no fear of the water and naturally began to make strokes to propel himself. That’s great! Swimming is a sport he can enjoy his entire life, and maybe one that will take him all the way to the Olympics and Visa commercials.

Aunt Kris to the rescue

The Lake of the Ozark’s cabin is a really cool place that offers lots of things to do for all ages. Nearly everything there was a new adventure that begged to be explored and investigated. Unfortunately, from time to time it was necessary for the twins to stay in their play yard while dinner was being prepared or the adults were resting. Sometimes, they would become frustrated with this confinement and cry to be let out. The play yard toys from home were nice, but couldn’t compete with the allure of the Lake toys. Luckily, Aunt Kristin came to the rescue with bubbles. These balls of fun were interesting and didn’t require leaving the play yard to enjoy.

Their Favorite Book

During our stay at the Lake of the Ozark’s family cabin everyone became familiar with the book “Buzz, Buzz Busy Bees” by Dawn Bentley and Heather Cahoon. It is the boy’s favorite book right now, and one they never, ever tire of hearing. Anytime someone would visit the play yard, one boy or both would offer the book to be read aloud. They love the rhyming story of the busy bees who buzz past all their barnyard friends as they work to make honey. They are learning the names and sounds of each animal, and know the book so well that they will often make the animal sound in anticipation of the page being turned. Mommy and Daddy have read it so many times they can recite it from memory. When no one was available to read to Benji, he sat in the big chair and read it aloud himself.

Really Long Gone

Playing hard in the sun and water can exhaust anyone, and these boys have never played this hard. We swan nearly everyday and twice on one day. Granddaddy took us for long boat rides three different times to see various parts of the lake. We climbed the long stairs up the hill to the cabin and back many times. Everybody took them for stroller rides and Daddy even pushed them to the top of Killer Hill and back twice. Add the excitement of all these family members with all these new experiences and you can get trapped under one tired little boy when his tanks run empty as Aunt Susan learned.

Cool Cousin Tyler

For his first ten years, Tyler has been the Roe clan’s youngest member, but now he has a new roll to play in the family; elder cousin. Tyler is clearly excited by his new cousins; they are his first and only cousins. For their part, Trey Davey and Benji quickly bonded with their cousin and enjoy being around him. They watch and observe him constantly, learning how to act more mature, and Tyler is setting a good example. He is comfortable as older male role model and no longer seeks the attention babies require. Tyler is becoming a man; one our boys will emulate.

Mouseketeering as Cooks

Aunt Kristin and Uncle Wes are fun. On the morning they cooked pancakes for breakfast they could have just done the basic job and everyone would have been happy enough, but instead, these two went the extra mile to make the meal special. To surprise and delight their two newest nephews, they somehow cooked the pancakes in the shape of Mickey Mouse. Benji and Trey Davey watch the Mickey Mouse Club Playhouse everyday and recognized the shape. Seeing them this excited by mouse shaped food makes one only wonder how excited they’ll be when we first visit the Magic Kingdom in a few years.

Taking the Party to the Yard

It is amazing how much space little people take. They need room to walk, climb, play and spread out their toys. We wanted the whole family to attend Granddaddy Roe’s 75th Birthday celebration, but ten people were a lot for the little cabin to hold at once, and we knew our little people were going to get under everybody’s feet. Our solution was constructing a super play yard on the deck. We surrounded an 8’ by 8’ pad with baby-gate like fencing. This contained them and most of their stuff in a safe, visible area not under foot. Some toys did occasionally get relocated over the fence, but for the most part the party stayed inside their yard. In fact, so much fun was percolating in the play yard that it attracted a great many guests. Most of the family members were drawn into the play area at various times to see how the smaller side lives.

Our First Boat Ride

When we saw everyone climb in the boat, we wanted to do it too. Granddaddy’s boat begged to be explored and experienced. Once on board Trey Davey and I were energized by the vessels’ many spaces and gadgets. Our enthusiasm waned though when we were forced to wear those cumbersome life jackets. Their necessity gave us pause. Just what were we getting ourselves into? Next came the loud sound of the engine starting, and then they pushed us away from the dock. The boat’s nose rose as we accelerated into the main cannel, then it began bouncing roughly on every large wave. Air from the boat’s movement blew our hair around and whistled in our ears. Davey’s face revealed the same concern that I was feeling. This was like no car ride we’d ever taken and it was a little bit scary. Thank goodness for the comforting arms of Mommy and Grandma around us.

Happy Birthday Granddaddy Jim

The Roe clan gathered this week at the family’s cabin to celebrate Granddaddy’s 75th birthday, and the nagging question for some time has been what special gift we would give him to benchmark this occasion. Looking back over three quarters of a century, he’s seen a great deal of progress. When he was born in 1934 a Great Depression hung over the nation’s economy. Probably the most common outlet for escape and companionship in those troubled times was the radio. Considering that the more things change the more they stay the same, we though the perfect gift for him would be a modern radio. Today’s satellite radios receive over 130 channels of all varieties delivered anywhere you are, commercial free. This technology was unimaginable in 1934. I wonder what futuristic gifts Trey Davey and Benji will receive on their 75th birthday in the year 2082.

Ear Today Gone Tomorrow

It rained on our vacation today in more ways than one. During breakfast we noticed Benji’s right ear was red and swollen. We believe he was experiencing an extreme reaction to an insect bite. It didn’t seem to bother him, but the ear’s extreme appearance concerned us. Grandma suggested we have it examined by a professional. Finding no clinics opened, we called our pediatrician, Dr. Neel, who explained that this reaction was common and to treat it with Benadryl. Everyone piled into the minivan and we made a trek to the closest Wal-Mart about 30 miles away. Since it was raining, we used this opportunity to let the boys stretch their legs and burn off some energy. We must have explored every aisle of that big box store. The treatment worked and the ear looked normal by week’s end.

First Swim

Mommy took the boys down to the beach on our first day at the cabin and quickly found she couldn’t keep them out of the water. Both love taking baths and playing in the sprinkler, so the Lake of the Ozarks was irresistible. Bowing to the pressure, we changed into our swimwear and prepared for our first real swim. We started slowly by sitting on the shore with our feet in the water. I tested the boys’ resilience by pouring cups of water over their head and shoulders. Big smiles told us they were ready for immersion. Slowly we walked ever deeper into the lake. Fully expecting wide spread panic, we were surprised by their reaction. There was no upset, clinging or crying. Instead, they comfortably floated, paddled and jabbered happily. Benji and Trey Davey are natural water boys.

One small step for….

Tomorrow marks the fortieth anniversary of what some believe to be the greatest event in human history. On a Sunday afternoon in 1969 at 4:17 p.m. CST Apollo 11 Mission Commander Neal Armstrong was the first human to set foot on the moon’s surface. At about the same time today, forty years later, a somewhat less important, but personally significant event occurred. Our twins set foot on their first beach. Unfortunately, no photograph was taken of Trey Davey’s actual footprint, but this snapshot was taken capturing this historic event. It is the fulfillment of their mother’s pledge, made just after their birth, to see them travel to the family’s Lake of the Ozarks cabin and return safely by the end of the decade. For any skeptics, Benji’s beach rock collection provides tangible proof of our Missouri visit.

Packed for the Lake

You have to appreciate the versatility built into our Dodge minivan. Those designers must have had kids too. When we first began talking about all the baby things we wanted to take with us to the Grand Roe’s Lake of the Ozarks cabin, I was sure we’d have to pull a trailer to take it all. Our list included a large double stroller, large play-yard, play-mats, four playpens, two high chairs, two baby lawn chairs, two tree swings, a big bag of toys and all our clothes for a week. I never thought we could pack it all into our van, but Mommy was determined to fit it all in. We removed the third row bench seat, and Sandy utilized every inch to take everything we needed for a great vacation. In fact, it was packed so tightly that it exploded when we arrived.

Happy Birthday Uncle Wes!

We love Uncle Wesley Price. His fun-loving gentle spirit makes him a great companion at play-time. He doesn’t get upset when we touch his computer and interrupt his work. Instead, he stops what he’s doing and helps us explore new things. When we get older, Uncle Wes is going to teach us a lot of new things. He’s the ultimate outdoorsman, annually conquering the snow-packed Utah Mountains every winter and taming the Grand Canyon’s white water rapids each summer. We hope he will take us skiing and canoeing one day, and maybe hunting and fishing if Mommy lets us.

Going Commando

When I looked up and saw Benji walking across the floor carrying a diaper I thought he’d been diaper diving again. For some reason both boys periodically inspect the contents of the laundry basket and diaper pail. If not caught early, their findings are often relocated about the room. Before I could react I realized I had just emptied the Diaper Genie and had not changed any diapers since. After discussing this mystery with Sandy, she wondered aloud if this could have been the diaper he had just been wearing. A look inside his shorts confirmed her suspicion. Apparently, when Benji’s diaper became filled he decided to remove it and did so without removing his shorts. Now that’s talent.

Taking the Taste Test

In the late 1940s, a teacher just up the river in Cincinnati, Ohio gave her students wallpaper cleaning compound and instructed them on how to use it to make models of various objects. Over the next few years, other Cincinnati teachers began using the compound for their students’ arts and crafts projects. Learning of this, the manufacturer reworked the product and marketed it first to school systems, then to the general public. The compound, composed of flour, water, salt, and other ingredients, was christened Play-Doh. Over the next fifty years if became one of the most loved toys around the world. Trey Davey first discovered Play-Doh at Mack Burton’s house during a recent play date. After making various shapes he decided to taste it. He will confirm for you the manufacturer’s claim that it is non-toxic and not tasty.

Munchkin Attack

Little boys are different. They show affection by wrestling. For them, nothing quite says I love you like a sneak pounce attack. Daddies know this and often make allowances for this physical behavior. The trick is not allowing it to get too wild. Nobody should get hurt from overly aggressive love touches, so extreme rough housing is not tolerated by either side. My dad and I had an understanding. If I asked him to stop he would, but I could only say stop when I meant it. I was not allowed to cry wolf. My boys are beginning to understand these limits. Sometime they get too rough with each other or me, and we have to take a timeout to calm down, but most of the time the wresting is fun for all.

Double Twin Swingers

Trey Davey and Benji love the swings at Legion Park. In fact, they have memorized the road adjacent to the park and begin lobbying for swing time every time we drive down that street. Once we’re there, they never want to leave and cry when we do. Swing time is a good time. The park is very popular, and we often have to wait for open swings. On our most recent stop two swings were open right away, and we ran to reserve them. After loading, we looked to our left and saw a very familiar sight, twin boys. We spoke with their mother as we pushed the two sets of swingers and discovered they too loved the swings. These boys were nine months older than our pair and identical.

If you can’t beat them

The boys love water and bath time is great fun, for them at least. Lately it has become an out-of-control splash-a-rama for the rest of us. Their watery exuberance in the sink was getting the entire laundry room wet, so we decided now was the time to move their daily baths to the bathtub. At first you would think this would be more efficient because you can bathe both boys at once, but two babies splash exponentially more than one baby. Still, it’s hard to get mad when they obviously enjoy this activity so much. Rather, it’s best to peel down and join the fun.

A Squirrelly Visitor

Looking out our playroom window is one of our favorite activities. There is always a lot of activity around the Roberts’ house next door and lots of big trucks working around the school construction behind us. All of this we see from afar looking down from our second floor window. What we were not prepared for were a set of eyes looking back at us from outside our window, but today that’s exactly what we saw. A squirrel climbed up the brick wall to our window ledge to say hello. It was scary, but Mommy was there to comfort us.

Our First Play Date

When our next door neighbor Kate called Thursday to invite us to a play date with her son Mack at 4:00 pm today, I was curious. The term play date didn’t exist during my childhood, and I wasn’t exactly sure what was involved. She suggested the boys wear swimsuits and expect to play for about an hour. Mack is 6 months younger than the twins and ready for friends. Kate filled his baby pool, hooked up a sprinkler and brought out a slide for climbing. All three boys played together in the water happily without any problems. At times our toddlers’ desire to explore the backyard’s boundaries would require all four parents to corral them back together. The energy level was very high for about 50 minutes, as predicted, and then we went home tired and happy.

Porch Slide

A decade or more ago, Al Bell gave Daddy Dave an Adirondack chair and matching ottoman for Christmas. The next year, his friend gave him another chair and ottoman to make a matched pair. It’s safe to say that when Al made this furniture by hand in his wood shop he never thought it would be used as playground equipment, but for two little boys, that’s exactly what it is. They love to climb high on the chair backs and look down all around the yard. It’s a great view. They also found that the ottomans turned back to back make a great slide. Fun can be found everywhere if you know where to look.

A Relaxed Read

Benji is his own man. While he and Trey Davey love it when adults read to them, he also enjoys kicking back and reading to himself. Books hold a special fascination to the boys, and they enjoy them immensely. We stock baby books everywhere including in their toy box, diaper bag, stroller, cribs, playpens, and next to their car seats. While they play on the floor, Sandy will often lie on the couch propped up on pillows, with a blanket covering her legs and catch up on her reading. Recently, Benji has begun mirroring his mother’s reading posture. Hopefully, he will also adopt her early reading appetite, which sometimes numbered to 20 books per week during her summers off from school.

This looks like trouble

Law abiding citizens can rest easier tonight after the apprehension of two of the cities most notorious perpetrators. Authorities captured these two thugs sleeping in their upstairs hideout this afternoon located ironically in one of the cities most respectable neighborhoods. Neighbors interviewed immediately after the bust reported no unusual activity around the house, but an increased number of yard toys accumulating in the accused’ backyard. Inside the safe house they found verification of various forms of foolishness. Carpet stains revealed evidence of food fighting. Television remotes had been used to actually turn people green. Laundry baskets had been emptied and dirty clothes lined the floors. Furniture had been moved and climbed upon to access forbidden objects. After a timeout in detainment, these troublemakers were released with a kiss into home custody.

Who’s The Tallest Edds Boy?

Cousin Levi is clearly the tallest Edds toddler. Sure, he has a 16 month age advantage, but like Trey Davey, Levi has always measured in the top 5 percentile in height for his age group. Benji generally ranks in the top 15%. Uncle Steve at 6’6” and Daddy Dave at 6’1” measure the tallest and shortest in their Edds men generation. They have five other male cousins’ whose heights ranged in-between theirs. Granddaddy Edds’ male generation is tall also. Brothers Hugh David, Gene Ray and Richard all stand between 6’2” and 6’3” tall. Some say their father, Great-Granddaddy Bertie Edds, was the tallest man in McLean County, Kentucky. He reportedly stood between 6’3” and 6’5” tall, but there is no supporting documentation. Genetically speaking, I’d say the probability of these three boys beating the national average male height of 5’10” is pretty good, if not a given.

Birthday Benchmark Photo – 19 months

The pace of the twin’s maturity has been dramatic this summer. It seems like every day they learn a new word or skill. Terrible-two behaviors have also hatched in the form of willful disobedience and periodic tantrums. This is not to suggest that these are bad boys, only that they are beginning to explore their boundaries. Imagine if you suddenly found yourself in a foreign country where you didn’t speak the language. More frustrating than knowing none of the language is learning a few words, but enough to truly communicate what you really want.

Happy Birthday Uncle Sam

Our plans to watch the Independence Day fireworks down at the riverfront fizzled out today due to rain. Instead we raised our colors inside with Cousin Levi. This relationship is really beginning to bloom as the children get older. They don’t yet truly play together, but rather play independently in the same area. Davey especially watches Levi and is very attentive to his interests and activities. For his part, Levi seems to love the twins and becomes energized around them. Soon they will begin to share toys, games and conversations, and it is likely these three patriots will wave their freedom flags together for years to come.

Melody and Harmony

A melody is a linear succession of musical tones which is perceived as a single entity or tune. The harmony is the simultaneous use of different pitches which compliment the tune and make it sound fuller (chords). For us, one twin conceives an idea and the other helps out to create total mayhem. Our piano best illustrates this principle. Benji first escapes into the forbidden zone by breaching the baby gate’s locking mechanism and Trey Davey follows. Next, Mr. Benjamin lifts the piano’s dust cover with hand and punches a few keys with the other. Seeing this, Trey Davey climbs onto the piano bench, pushes the dust cover back all the way and begins pounding the ivories with both hands. Not to be left behind, Benji also climbs onto the bench and joins his brother’s two-handed piano playing. Had we tried to stage this, they never would have cooperated.

Thursday Night Pasta Party

It is so much fun serving the boys the same meal as we are having each night and introducing them to new and wonderful tastes. Tonight they discovered real Italian Spaghetti, not the over-processed baby food variety, but the wonderfully delicious recipe that Sandy prepares. This dish is Mommy and Daddy’s favorite and judging by the boys’ favorable reaction, it will likely be a much loved dish for them as well. Mommy chopped up their servings to allow them to spoon feed themselves easily. We worried their food might wind up on the floor, but our big boys cleaned their plates and were allowed strawberries for desert.

How about here?

Daddy Dave’s finally gotten our message. Its summertime and we’re ready to play outside. We want room to run, play on big toys and get really seriously dirty. Children grow fastest during the summer months because they exercise the most during that season. His one condition to our external “freedom” is a backyard fence. Apparently, one adult can not handle active twin boys without the aid of fenced boundaries. Ok, sure Dad, whatever facilitates our entry into the great outdoors. Put up your pretty little white picket fence, if it makes you feel better. Just hurry it up. We’re ready to play.