Peanuts and Pumpkins

Father’s Day 2013

Happy Father’s Day to the two most important men in my life, my husband and Dad. I wouldn’t be where I am today without either on of you.

Is there a better way to celebrate Father’s Day — bouncing in a play house with your twin toddlers at Twirl in Taos??

It’s incredible how quickly time passes. The fog of the first year has lifted, and with the blink of an eye the boys’ second birthday is just around the corner. It’s hard to believe that we’ll have two two year olds come July. Toddler behavior is in full swing – hitting, throwing, biting, arguing, and tantrums. Many days Dan and I feel like we are prison wardens just trying to keep the inmates from shanking each other, or stealing the others’ commissary. However, unlike prison wardens, we are completely and utterly in love with our little inmates. As challenging as they can be, and as worn out as we get playing referee, Jack and Miles are a complete riots and have us laughing more than crying.

Both are talking up a storm, some of which we actually understand. Jack seems to enjoy books more than Miles, although, if it’s a book he enjoys Miles pays complete attention. His favorite book is Hands Can by Cheryl Willis Hudson. Jack enjoys most books, but has his favorites as well, one being – The Going to Bed Book by Sandra Boynton

The last ten months have been ten months of change in every imaginable way. The boys have grown and developed into fun, active, silly, and highly entertaining boys whose personalities continue to shine as they explore and feel more confident in their surroundings. And let’s not forget, we moved from the vibrant, sprawling city of Austin to a quieter existence in rural New Mexico. We went from wild hipsters running the streets to wild livestock roaming the roads, from cityscape to landscape. As Dan and I reflect on the last 5 months in Northern New Mexico, we talk about how different the boys’ experiences will be from ours — two city mice attempting to raise two country mice. It’s good though – Jack and Miles have immediate access to one of the best outdoor playgrounds. Dan does so well with change, where anything I let go of has claw marks. I like familiar. I like sameness. I thrive on routine. Dan has hopped right in, but I am still working on making this our new “familiar”. Just last weekend we hiked with the boys along the west rim of the Rio Grande Gorge. We are excited to share new experiences with Jack and Miles, we are excited to explore and embrace this new life.

I’m running out of steam, so I’ll wrap up with a few things the boys are enjoying right now; they love “school” and can’t wait to get there every morning, they enjoy zooming around on their new scooters and anything else with wheels, the climb anything and everything (including the dogs), they adore their Nana and Papa, Grandmom and Grandpop, blueberries, strawberries, yogurt, running away from us while laugh maniacally, throwing everything, and stealing the others’ toys. Oh and they still love their “bobby’s” (pacifier), but we are working on that. I have decided that one week after their second birthday is “D-day”. We’ll see how that goes.

I am enjoying my little buddies more than I ever imagined enjoying anything in life. They continue to challenge me to become a better version of myself, to walk through fear and uncertainty, or to just get over myself when I am feeling a bit too important. They remind me that I am but a small part of the bigger picture and that time passes too quickly to spend it worrying. I can’t imagine life without my little inmates.