When Granddaddy was in the Navy he learned to fly jet airplanes. After the service, he took that skill to Trans World Airlines and became a commercial pilot. During certain periods of his career he worked at TWA’s Training Center in Kansas City teaching other pilots the techniques for flying large commercial airliners. Given this extensive background, teaching the twins the techniques for operating their new Thomas the Train toys on Saturday was child's play for all ages.
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Remembering Great, Great Aunt Jane
Sunday, November 28, 2010
The Icing
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Our "T" Party
In 2009, populists, conservatives and libertarians began protesting massive U.S. government spending, and these actions were labeled the Tea Party movement. On this day in 2010, grandparents, parents and boys gathered to celebrate the twins’ third birthday one week early, and the “T” in our party stood for “Thomas the Tank Engine”. Thomas was everywhere. He was on our cups, on our plates, on our napkins and on our cake. He was on our balloons, on our hats, on our signs and tablecloth. The twins received some very nice gifts from their grandparents before being presented with a large Thomas toy box filled with Thomas toys, each with a unique ability. One played records, one was a flashlight, one would go when you pushed down the driver’s head and another would go when you blew a whistle. It was a noisy, festive event with no protests.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Groom and Doom
Nail clipping is right up there with haircuts on Trey Davey’s least favorite list. He hates it. Perhaps he believes these activities invade his personal space or cramp his grooming preferences. Who knows, but he has consistently resisted these actions from the beginning. Every grooming experience is a wresting match, and this little boy is strong. Clipping nails is a delicate procedure under the best conditions. Trying to trim his tiny little toenails on one pumping foot while his other is being pushed into my kidney is nearly an impossible task. The process of trimming Benji’s toe and finger nails takes about five minutes, while Davey’s grooming may take three times longer due to his squirming and screaming protests. I hope he grows out of it, but if you ever see Davey with shoulder length hair and nails, you’ll know he got too big for me to handle.
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Happy Thanksgiving!
These photos encapsulate the very most important things in our lives. First, we have each other, Sandy and I, and it is a match.com made in heaven. Then after so many years and prayers the Lord blessed us with twin boys who are happy, healthy and our lives’ delight. We are blessed to have our four parents who are healthy and fabulously happy grandparents. Al and Lisa Bell represent the best of our many wonderful friends. Their support and encouragement has been steadfast through our lives. Our family room’s ancestral photo collection represents the good names and traditions that we want to pass on to our boys. We are thankful for our attractive, comfortable home where our cupboards have never been bare. With so much to be thankful for, it has become our family’s tradition to join hands and thank God for our blessings at every meal not just on Thanksgiving.
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Clean One Liners
It is interesting to listen to Grandma Roe’s observations about the boys’ developments. With consistent visits about every 6 to 8 weeks over the last three years, she has noticed their advances better than we have, seeing them every day. One of the activities she enjoys most on every visit is giving the boys a bath. It is one of the few places where she can contain their energies and talk to them. What amazed her on this visit was the length of their sentences and their growing vocabulary. She was pleased to hear Trey Davey asked her “hey Grandma, what are you doing?” and Benji suggest “how about Benji James Edds Senior do it, not Grandma?” referring to sticking letters to the wall. No stand up comic could have tickled her more.
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Welcome Chesney!
Today, Aunt Kristin and Uncle Wes welcomed their first child, Chesney Kallan Price, into the world. She was born at 5:36 p.m. MST in St. Marks Hospital, Salt Lake City , Utah . At birth, Chesney weighed 7 pounds, 8 ounces and measured 19 inches long. Her due date was December 6, a day after the twins’ birthday. The potential of these overlapping birthdays provided Grandma and Granddaddy Roe many birthday celebration concerns. However, Chesney’s two-week early birth created a nice grandchild birthday separation for the grands’ future travels. Chesney is Trey Davey and Benji’s fourth cousin joining Christine and Tyler on the Roe side and Levi on the Edds side.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Six one way, half a dozen another
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Here Comes Santa Claus
Except for Cousin Levi’s wonderful addition to our little viewing party, all the environmental factors for this year’s Owensboro-Daviess County Christmas Parade were the same as the previous two years. We enjoyed the same cozy second-floor office view with Pa and Granny that we had before, and things started off much the same with each boy sitting still in a window box and watching the parade with one of the adults. But, before too long, each lost interest and began to squirm and wiggle. Trey Davey wanted to wander off and play with his trains, and Benji continually wanted to leave to explore the restroom. While very good, the parade was admittedly far from captivating. Still, in the coming year the boys will need to work on developing the discipline to sit still at events till the very end, which often is the very best part.
Saturday, November 20, 2010
Catching That Train
On Saturday we drove to Evansville to take our Christmas card photograph. Since trains have played such an important part in our lives over the last year, we thought they would make the perfect backdrop for our photo. We chose the Evansville Museum of Transportation because it was one of the first trains we visited and because the train is covered and clean. We chose an excellent morning to visit, beating the crowd and practically having the place to ourselves. The staff allowed us to set up our props and even snapped the photos once we were in place. After all that standing still for the photographs, the boys needed to run off all their excess steam.
Friday, November 19, 2010
Synco-pee-tion
The sight of both boys watching TV while sitting on the potty has become a very familiar scene at our house this week. As we continue potty training, our routine of sitting them on the potty a few minutes each hour has been unpopular but successful. The process of interrupting their play, getting their pants off, forcing them to sit still and go, march to the bathroom, flush the contents, wash hands, get their pants back on and return to play can take five to 20 minutes. Just as it has been throughout their childhood development, keeping the twins’ schedule synchronized has been a necessity in order for the caregivers to get anything else done.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Child Proven
Pa and Granny came over recently to babysit, and we had just sat down for dinner when my cell phone rang. Pa wanted to know how to load the movie player so they could watch a video. I suggested they needed to remove the child proof latch from the TV cabinet. He said Trey Davey had already done that and opened the doors. I described where the tape ejection button was located, and he said Davey had already removed the old video and Benji had inserted the new one. I described which remote control belonged to the TV and where the “On” button was located. He asked Benji where the remote was and Benji found it, turned on the TV and handed the controller to him. Pa said it still wasn’t working. I suggested trying channel 3, and he said, “That did it. It’s the only thing they missed.”
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Big Boy Briefs
These briefs are the most prized possession our boys have this week. They represent a progression from baby to boy. Only children mature enough to control their bladders are allowed to dress in underwear. Only parents who trust their children’s maturity consent to the diaper retirement. Benji and Trey Davey know this is a big deal, and they enjoy the praise they receive each time they choose the potty rather than their underwear. After the initial morning transition to underwear, there has been only one accident in the briefs. That incident was very upsetting to the offender because he really didn’t want to soil his Thomas underwear. Before long, wearing underwear will be as taken for granted as walking and talking, but it is the big news this week.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Give That Boy a Medal
Monday, November 15, 2010
Mommy’s Patience Rewarded
When the boys got up from their naps Sunday afternoon, Mommy was determined to potty train her boys. She allowed them to play any video they wanted if they would sit on their potty while they watched. Her theory was they needed to sit still and relax, and the only time they did that was while watching Thomas the Train videos. Her first success came when Benji peed several ounces just after he finished his milk. Davey watched as we cheered on Benji and presented him with a sticker. Davey was resistant to participate, but Mommy sat down next to him and patiently encouraged him to relax and enjoy the movie. He was so engrossed in Thomas’ adventures that he didn’t even notice he was filling his potty. He was surprised and delighted by his achievement and his first sticker.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
The Gauntlet
Saturday, November 13, 2010
An Accident Waiting to Happen
Friday, November 12, 2010
Hanging Out at The Park
With Carol taking a few vacation days and the weather unseasonably warm, I took the boys to play this morning at Legion Park . We joined about four other families there, all with children about the same age, because this time of year older children are in school. As I sat back and watched our boys play with their contemporaries, I realized just how much they have advanced. Their strength, coordination and confidence on the playground equipment have developed remarkably from the level they possessed in the early spring. Both boys are really exerting themselves now, pulling themselves up with their arms and climbing with their legs. Their social skills have also developed, introducing themselves, conversing and sometimes arguing with the older kids. They are no longer passively swinging or simply sliding. They are now actively playing and exercising.
Thursday, November 11, 2010
Happy Birthday Aunt Susan
Have you ever seen the side of a train used as a billboard? We haven’t either, but I know two boys who think that it is a good idea. Then they could share the big news that it is Aunt Susan’s birthday. She lives in California with our cousins Christine and Tyler, and while we didn’t have the opportunity to see her this year, we look forward to our next visit. Aunt Susan understands little boys, having raised Cousin Tyler, and knows just what interests us. She passed on to us several of Tyler’s coolest toddler toys and purchased a GeoTrax train set for us last Christmas. Maybe one day we can travel to California and visit them at their home. Since every trend seems to begin in “The Sunshine State”, maybe we can ignite the Caboose Billboard craze.
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
Scratch Another Goal Achieved
Maybe we needed just another week outside to practice. One goal the boys failed to achieve this summer was peddling a tricycle. Our neighbors next door, the Roberts, give us this tricycle earlier in the spring, and I adjusted the seat all the way forward so our boys’ short legs could reach the pedals. Each boy enjoyed sitting in the seat and pushing the trike forward with their feet against the pavement, but resisted using the pedals for motion. This week’s unseasonably warm temperatures allowed the boys to play outside a little more and this additional time made all the difference. Carol was the one who coached them today and was there when they made their pedaling breakthrough.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Potty Training could be worse
When I saw this photo taken earlier this summer at Hilliard Ohio’s Historic Village, it had new relevance for me in our current potty training environment and provided a new prospective on our task. We have it so easy. Sandy and I have never suffered outhouses, having always lived in homes with indoor plumbing. But in their childhoods, Pa and Granddaddy did live in homes with outdoor facilities, which caused me to think – What was potty training like then? A quick Google search reminded me of the outhouse’s indoor partner, the chamber pot. My continued research found dozens of historic chamber pot designs, and I noted their similarity to our little plastic training toilets. Also, I learned the word “potty” was a nickname for the chamber pot. So I suppose Pa and Granddaddy potty trained just like their grandsons, only without the motion activated music and applause sound effects.
Monday, November 8, 2010
Going for the Gold
Sandy read that potty training could be achieved through using incentives. She made refrigerator posters for each child with their names on it and told them they would receive a sticker for their board each time they pottied. Benji cheered and crowed the first time he received a sticker for urinating. After receiving a few more stickers, Benji attempted to circumvent the rules by claiming a sticker each time he deposited only a few drops. He protested mightily when his mother cried foul. Trey Davey was unimpressed by the stickers and refused to participate. Upping the anti, Sandy purchased Thomas the Train stickers for successful #1 potties and award medals for #2 potties. This motivated Davey to try, but he found only limited success due likely to performance anxiety. So far, no one has medaled in the poopy competition.
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Blog #1100
When Uncle Stephen was about eight years old, I can remember him asking our parents to tell us stories about when we were little boys. I suppose we all ask our parents these things, especially as our early childhood memories fade. Most of the stories become part of a family’s oral history and if not retold repeatedly are lost. A few family stories were written down occasionally, captured in letters or journals, but these documents were commonly lost over time. Just as technology replaced the plow with the tractor, so has the internet replaced letter and journal pages with email, social networking sites and web pages. Sandy and I created this blog to share our stories with distant family and friends, and we are saving and preserving these blogs so that our boys and their children and grandchildren may know all the stories about Benji and Davey’s childhood.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Daddy’s Rocket Launcher
Friday, November 5, 2010
Birthday Benchmark Photo – 2 Years 11 Months
With a month to go until their third birthday the boys have advanced well on most of their 36 month goals. Both boys understand most speech, can communicate with four or five word sentences (or more), use pronouns and follow two or three part commands – that is when they are so inclined. Trey Davey is slightly ahead when it comes to socializing with others and his interest in ‘pretend’ play. Benji appears slightly ahead with dressing and undressing himself, with his speech being comprehended by others, and with toilet training. In the next month, both boys need to work on alternating feet on the stairway and pedaling a tricycle to ace all their goals.
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Benji and his Friends
Our home is in a constant state of evolution. Recently Trey Davey has shown a preference for playing at eye level over ground level. As a result he has taken to clearing the tops of the shelves and dressers to make way for his trains and tracks. His redecorating left all the stuffed animals on the floor, which Benji relocated to the space under the clothing rack. A few days later when the winter’s first sick day struck our home, Benji chose this space to recuperate with all his stuffed friends around. Mommy and Davey soon joined him on the floor to provide additional support and comfort. With all this nursing Benji quickly recovered.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Crib Diving
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Election Day
Finding our new poling place was not difficult. We can see it from our bedroom balcony. It is now housed in the new Owensboro High School Gymnasium located just across the football practice field behind our house. We took the opportunity this election day to not only take the boys with us to vote, but also to check out the interior of the new gym while we were there. This year, the high school’s basketball team’s games will be returning to campus and will be played in this new 2,500 seat facility. For the last 60 years the games were held in the Owensboro Sportscenter, the community’s 6,000 seat arena. If this season goes as well for the OHS Red Devil’s basketball team as this election went for the Republicans, then another state championship banner will soon be added to this new gym.
Monday, November 1, 2010
Play by Play Man
It is immensely entertaining to just sit back and observe the boys at play. Several people who have watched Benji have noticed the way he seems fascinated by how things work and may make a good engineer one day. One’s presence in the room is not even required to follow Trey Davey’s flow of play – they need only listen as he describes it in detail. This habit has become even more pronounced lately due to his recent preference for playing in a standing position on counter tops rather than in a kneeling position on the floor. His voice is loud and punctuated by dramatic moments in his story telling. Like all little boys, he adds sound effects for tires squealing and engines revving, but then Davey also describes the action as it occurs. The world needs more keen observers and commentators.
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