Trouble

Lots going on these days, but this video gives a pretty accurate description of the things that make me smile around here.

Okay, one quick story before the video.  Lily was eating her breakfast this morning and mumbles something under her breath in what can only be described as a sassy tone.  "What did you say Lily?"

"I SAID, ARE YOU GOING TO PUT SOME PANTS ON BEFORE MY BUS GETS HERE?"

Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abby, Chloe, and Trouble

Too Many Stories To Tell

Yeeesh, it has been almost 2 months since the last post.....what a slacker.  Every day just seems like a blur and its hard to keep up with everything the kids say and do.  If it seems my thoughts are jumbled and incoherent it's because I'm just going to start typing and see what I can remember over the past 2 months.

Since it is not really clear who all reads this and there may be some newcomers, it bears repeating every once in a while.  The genesis behind the blog is simply to create a journal that Kasey, the kids and I can look back on at some point and remember the different seasons of life.  Through that process, if others get a good laugh or learn something from our many blunders, all the better.  Recently, my role in my company has changed, and for the better.  The experiences were invaluable and will help to make me better at what my current role, but most importantly my schedule is more flexible for me to spend time with Kasey and the kids.  To even have breakfast with the kids over the past year and a half was an anomaly.  Forget about the occasional lunch with Lily at school.  Now all those things are routine and quality of life has increased exponentially for me. 

When a parent goes to school to have lunch, the child is allowed to invite one friend to join them.  So Lily invited a little girl from her class that also plays on her basketball team, Reagan.  As a side note, Reagan is welcome to our house anytime, which cannot be said about all her friends.  Those 2 cracked me up telling me about all the other kids; who is good, who gets in trouble, who bully's, but they wouldn't admit to me who they thought was cute.  They kept telling secrets to each other wondering if they should tell me about something that happened, and eventually they would be convinced to go ahead and tell me.  It was just fun to watch them and find myself a little jealous about all the fun they will be having over the next several years with little worry about the responsibility that comes with being an adult.

It was my pleasure to escort Lily on our second Father / Daughter dance recently.  It was unclear at first whether we would be attending as Lily has this notion that her Daddy is going to embarrass her.  After she was convinced that her embarrassment would be limited, she agreed to go and we had a wonderful time.  As her father, it is my duty (ha ha, I said doodie) to turn every event into a learning experience.  My explanation of why we go on dates and how we will continue to go on dates so she can learn how a boy is expected to treat her once she starts dating was met with no less that 1200 eye rolls.  Let's just hope some of it sinks in.  Lily got to wear a corsage, and so as not to leave the other girls out, Abby and Chloe received flowers, and Lawson presented Mommy with a rose as well.  It was very cute.....see for yourself.

We were all sitting around the other night when it suddenly dawned upon me, we don't have babies anymore.  Lily is in first grade acting like she should be going off to college any day.  Abby and Chloe have turned into young little ladies overnight, and while they still have the occasional melt down they are learning to figure things out for themselves and at least try to work out their differences.  Lawson Boy has turned into an obstinate little trouble maker and it cracks me up way more than it should.  It's like looking into a mirror and trying to scold yourself, you just cannot do it without laughing sometimes.  The latest lesson that won't sink into his thick skull is "sometimes the answer is no".  The boy doesn't take no for an answer, which is admirable to a point.  So after the explanation is given that he does not always get what he wants, his usually response is, "Daddy, the answer is YES!"  As if that wasn't enough, it is often followed with, "STOP TALKING, go your room or I spank you."  Always fun to hear from your 2 year old son.

Friday night pizza night is here, so I better get it going before the boy withers away from lack of food.  As if his usual 3 breakfast, lunch and snacks weren't enough.

Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abby, Chloe and the bottomless pit (Lawson Boy)

Happy 4th Birthday Abby and Chloe

Just as the process of writing this blog is about to begin, Abby is exiting the kitchen with a very guilty look on her face and something obvious hiding in her shirt.  Keep in mind, she knows they are not allowed to take food from the kitchen. 

Me: "What are you doing Abby?"
Abby: "Nothing"
Me: "What's in your shirt Abby?"
Abby:  "Oh this?  (pause) I brought you some crackers Daddy."
Me: "You weren't trying to take them upstairs with you, where you?"
Abby: "Yes, but there for you now."

And that pretty much sums up what we deal with every day most of these past 4 years; a good mix of mischief, cuteness and witty responses or lies depending on how you choose to look at it.

Four years ago God blessed with us with these 2 wonderful tiny little babies.  While they do create a great deal of mayhem in our lives and we frequently complain about the craziness that raising twins can bring, truth is we cannot imagine life without them.  Funny thing is about 4 1/2 years ago, we were preparing for the fact that both of them may not even live to come home with us.  For those who don't know about the challenges during their pregnancy, there is a reason we call them "miracle babies" and what better day to tell their story than on their birthday.

About 15 weeks into the pregnancy, we went for a sonogram with most of Kasey's family in the room while we determined the sex of the baby.  The anticipation was great and there was concern of disappointment conveyed by yours truly as my preference for a boy had been made very clear.  The process began and the images on the screen started to come into focus.  After a few minutes,  a comment was made something along the lines of, "you know there are 2, right?"  Ha, ha, very funny.  After some fun was had at my expense, there is was, the image was clear and I saw 2 babies.  Kasey is yelling out, "I knew it, I told my doctor I was having twins."  Kasey's brother secured Lily from my arms in fear that she be dropped as the color on my face began to fade to more of a greenish hue.  While this tidbit of info was still setting in and weakening my knees, along comes the knock out punch, "they are both girls".  Holy *&?*^! is what I start thinking.  3 girls, 3 weddings, 3 college tuition's, not enough guns to wart off all those boys, and on and on my mind raced.  As if that wasn't enough, Dr. T asked to clear the room so he could explain some things to us.

Basically we were told that we need to schedule an appointment with Kasey's doctor the very next day.  During that visit, it was explained that Abby and Chloe were mono-amnionic meaning they shared the same sac.  Kasey's doctor, Chuck, (we have had enough kids that I'm on first name basis with her OBGYN), felt horrible that he missed the twins, but because there was only one sac he assumed one baby.  Chuck sent us to another specialist.  While his candor was appreciated, he did not do much to make Kasey feel at ease.  This guy basically told us there is nothing we can do but spend some time in the hospital moitoring the babies and hope for the best.  He told us right now I would say your babies have a 50/50 shot of both living.  I still remember walking out of his office that day, and Kasey just began to cry on the sidewalk. 

During her 25th week of pregnancy and the day after Thanksgiving, Kasey went into the hospital where she would spend the next 9 weeks.  Abby and Chloe would have to be monitored every couple hours to make sure they were not killing each other.  Not much has changed really since then has it?  They were monitored to make sure one baby was not getting all the blood supply, and to make sure that their umbilical cords were not knotted off.  If at any time something happened, Kasey would be rushed in for an emergency C Section. 

Those 9 weeks were some of the most memorable weeks of my life.  Lily and I spent so much time together during that time frame and she was such a trooper.  We went to the hospital almost every night and not once did she cry or make a scene when we left Kasey there.  This time frame may be where she mastered her art of stealthing into our bed, as I woke up most every morning with her curled up next to me.  Abby and Chloe did great, and aside from the occasional technical difficulties of finding their heart beats, it was pretty smooth going.  Kasey became fast friends with all the nurses and if memory serves me correct, Kasey knew all the good gossip around the prenatal unit.  We snuck Kasey out of the hospital for 2 hours on Christmas so she could at least open gifts with us.  That may have been the toughest day for Kasey through the whole thing.  We had so many sonograms those 9 weeks, that we were actually able to pick up on some of Abby and Chloe's characteristics.  Chloe could sense when the sonogram was happening and it was if she was trying to push Abby aside so she could get in the picture.  We have a sonogram picture of the two of them actually holding hands in the womb.

So the plan was to take them at 34 weeks or 6 weeks early.  Chuck said they could spend as much as 6 weeks in the NICU just depending on how well they ate.  That day 4 years ago came and Abby arrive first the smaller of the 2 white as a sheet and barely a peep.  Chloe came out screaming bloody murder and red as a beet.  We got to see them all of 2 seconds before they were rushed away into a room with 8 to 10 people waiting to care for them.  It only took a few minutes before they allowed me into the room and asked me what their names were.  "Which one came out first, and is she smaller?", I said.  They confirmed that baby A was smaller, so I confirmed that was Abby and baby B is Chloe.  They were the tiniest little babies I had ever seen both weighing about 4 lbs.  Chloe to this day is still the first one to try new things, and she came home a day before Abby after only 10 days in the hospital.

Happy Birthday to my sweet little twin baby girls, we love you so much!

Quick Lawson Story:  We attended cousin Morgan's basketball game who is now playing for Arlington Baptist.  After the game all the kids were running around and before they got out of control, they were told to settle down.  Lawson began to back talk me as he often does, and after a couple warnings he got a little love tap on his rear end.  Though it wasn't hard enough for him to barely feel it, he played the sympathy card and began crying.  He shuffles over to Mommy and proceeds to tell on me:

Kasey:  "what happened Lawson?"

Lawson: "Daddy hit me."

Kasey: "Where you talking back?"

Lawson: "No, daddy hit me".  (He then turns around pointing at his hiney)  "Daddy hit me on my hiney......will you kiss it?"

Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abby, Chloe, and Lawson Boy



Fun at the Holidays

Happy New Year!  We have had so much fun over Christmas and the holidays and can't wait to see what 2013 brings for us this year.  Looking back over the past year, it seems to have gone by so fast and yet so much has happened and changed in that year.  We struggled through much of the year trying to balance our work schedules and the kids and all the activities they are now involved in, and 2012 flat wore us out.  Hard as it may have been, we had so much fun watching the kids grow and learn, and the things that will stick with us are the fun times and the hilarious stories that they fill our lives with. 

In an effort to get into the Christmas spirit, we watched several Christmas shows including classics like Charlie Brown, newer shows like Ice Age Christmas, and we sprinkled in some musical specials as well.  We chose to watch Michael Buble's Christmas special, and odd as it may seem the entire family laughed the whole way through.  Let me explain.  We use the term bubali (not sure the spelling) to describe a boys private parts, which is an actual term in Farsi that we learned.  The pronunciation of this word is very similar to Buble, so every time somebody said Michael Buble we laughed and laughed and laughed.  Not exactly a Norman Rockwell picture, but every family has to create their own memories.  The highlight was when Elmo made an appearance on the show and said Mr. Michael Buble over and over and over.  The kids laughed so hard, it's a wonder one of them didn't throw up.

This was the first Christmas that all the kids were old enough to truly enjoy the presents.  My job this year was take care of Lawson's gifts and that task was gladly accepted.  There is nothing more fun than going to the toy store and buying anything you want.....I mean buy toys for your son.  It's still up in the air whether Lawson enjoyed opening his gifts more than me.  One lesson learned is that those warnings they put on toys that ready "for ages" are based on a scale.  It has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with fun factor.  The lower the age warning the more boring the toy.  The higher the age warning, the more fun.  So Lawson at 2 years old did not receive a single toy under 4+. 

We had a white Christmas here in the DFW area this year.  The kids were so excited to go out and play in the snow until they realized how cold snow really is.  They gave up on building their snow man in less than 3 minutes.

It's been mentioned several times in the blog that Lily has a similar sense of humor to mine which can be summed up in the following observation that she made just this morning.
Lily: "Daddy, you know what's funny about buttons?"
Me: "No, what is funny about buttons."
Lily: "If you take away the O and the N, it spells butt."

Lily and some of her friends practice for several weeks to go Caroling this Christmas.  They went to the funeral home to bring cheer and joy to the elderly.  When asked if they enjoyed their singing, she responded, "yes they did, except for the ones that were sleeping".

Because the kids are still so young they cannot be trusted to stay away from the gifts under the tree, so Kasey and I have to stay up late every Christmas Eve to get all the gifts wrapped and get Christmas morning ready.  It's actually become a fun little time for us spend time together even though both of us want nothing more than to just get some sleep.  The lack of trust in the kids doesn't make for a very pretty Christmas tree.   If they can touch an ornament they will, and they will most likely break it as well.  It doesn't matter how many times you tell them not to touch, they will still break it.  So our Christmas had 70% of the ornaments at the top of the tree out of their reach and the rest were broken.

Along with the holidays comes colds, ear infections, and stomach bugs.  Best guess is that we have washed somebody's sheets the past 12 days in a row due to some sort of nastiness in the middle of the night.  In addition we made two ER visits for an ear infection and a fever that spiked to almost 105.  Sometimes you just feel like the house will never be clean until that last little rug rat goes off to college.

But the award for best Christmas story in the Strait household goes to Chloe Belle. 

Twas the day of Christmas and all through our house
Every Monster was searching for mischief about
Almost asleep on my couch when something I heard
Not sure what it was so to my slumber return

Then up the stairs, Monster Lawson did scurry
With fear in his words as "ooo, ooo, ooo" he did utter
In my daze, I paid no attention at first
Then something hit me saying this doesn't make sense

So I rose from the couch to see what could be
What a sudden surprise hung waiting for me
The dining room light hung from nothing but a wire
Come to find out my Chloe, she is not a good liar

There was a toy on the table that made for good fun
But not as much as if from a chandelier she hung
As best we can figure, she grabbed on for a ride
It pulled from the ceiling and she is lucky to have a backside

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Love

Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abby, Chloe, and Spidey Lawson

Happy Thanksgiving

When I asked Lily if she knew what Thanksgiving was all about, her response involved something along the lines of being thankful for family.  Realizing that she was about to receive a full blown explanation involving tales of Pilgrims and Indians, she quickly informed me she was not interested in hearing the story.  Further realizing her statement had not deterred me from further explanation she asks, "I don't really have a choice, do I?"  NOPE.

We have so much to be thankful for this year, it is hard to know where to begin.  Makes sense to go with Lily's theme and start with family.  Despite all the chaos and craziness, the sleepless nights, the sprouting gray hair, the constant interruptions and messes around the house, life would be unimaginable without the monsters.  I'm thankful for Lily and the beautiful intelligent young lady she is turning into.  Her humor and wit makes me laugh daily, and her curiosity reminds us how much fun it is to learn and experience new things.

I'm thankful for Abigail and the way she reminds us to live life to the fullest, and there is nothing wrong with wearing your emotions on your sleeve.  Not a day goes by that she does not experiences utter joy and laughter, nor has a day gone by that she has not been so hurt or saddened that she cries uncontrollably.

I'm thankful for Chloe who teaches us that life does not always have to be so serious.  She has a way of taking a serious moment, a bad situation, or just a tough day and giving you this look with a smirk on her face that will make anybody smile and forgot what was so important.

I'm thankful for Lawson Boy who gives me a buddy to hang out with every day and reminds me what it is like to think like a child.  Dreaming about the future and the possibilities for him coupled with his charm and humor provide hope because all we really want is for our children to be better and have it better than we do.

I'm thankful for Kasey for cooking my Thanksgiving dinner.  In fact she does most of the cooking after she has made sure the kids are taken care of, their extracurricular activities are managed, and she has put in a full days work for her job.  Really not sure how she does it everyday while putting up with me, but I'm truly grateful for all she does.

I'm thankful for our parents who pitch in and help at just the right moment to help with the kids before we lose our sanity.  We have been blessed with loving families that provided a good foundation and support on which to build our family.

I'm thankful we have good jobs to provide for the monsters.  Even though we work way too many hours and would rather be home with the kids, they are learning the importance of hard work.......hopefully.

I'm thankful for our friends who share their lives with us.  Knowing we have others to share our stories and trials with, and listen to theirs in return is comforting.

I'm thankful for our country and the men and women who put their lives on the line.  Thank you nephew Stephen Hale for your service, it was great to speak with you today.

I'm thankful to God for providing all the gifts he has given us.

Someday when the kids are grown and we are sitting around the Thanksgiving table with their husbands, boyfriends, wife or girlfriend, I envision them breaking out whatever form of technology we will read from and reading some of these blogs and laughing about all their shenanigans.  I'm thankful for what the future holds for us and our amazing children.

Happy Thanksgiving,

Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abigail, Chloe, and Lawson Boy

Flower Girlzilla

The weekend as Flower Girl for Ashley Teague's wedding was everything Lily hoped it was going to be and more.  This was her third time honored with the responsibility of scattering flowers down the aisle for the bride, and she handled it like a pro.  It has been quite some time since Kasey, Lily and I were on a road trip just the three of us, and it made me realize how easy it was to only take care of one kid compared to the chaos we typically endure with the four of them.  Mama was nice enough to take on the task of making sure Abby, Chloe and Lawson did not tear down the house in our absence.  Thank you mama.

The last time it was just the 3 of us would have been about 4 years ago, and back then we would have still been dealing with 2 year old issues like changing pull ups or tantrums.  Now we are dealing with a smart little 6 year old who thinks she knows more than us, and entertained us with her humor, singing and dancing all weekend.  We stayed at a wonderful lake resort and upon arrival, Lily was admiring the water park on site.  It was explained that due to the fact that we are in November, the water park would be closed.  The wheels started turning in Lily's head and she had an idea, "we should sneak in the water park tonight Daddy."  That got us to laughing and Kasey responded, "Lily, you think just like your Daddy."  Without hesitation Lily exclaims, "we should sneak in naked."  Hmmmmmmmmmm.  That comment was funny and disturbing all at the same time.  Funny, because that really convinced Kasey that she thinks like her Daddy.  Disturbing, because it is not quite clear why she would say something like that.  There is usually a rationale explanation to Lily's thought process, and after some digging it became clear.  She was aware of the fact that we did not bring our bathing suits, and she was also aware that we should not get our clothes wet.  The only plausible way to sneak into a water park without a suit and not get your clothes wet is to go naked. 

Lily's special day was full of pampering and drama.  Lily had  her hair done at the hotel salon, and chatted with the stylist the whole time.  Her hair was to be curled for the wedding and Lily got a kick out of watching her hair transform.  Her hair was only half way complete when she told the stylist, "it looks so ugly".  It had to be explained to her that this was a process and the curls would loosen up to the way it was supposed to look.  Clearly my explanation was not enough to convince her.  Lily can be self conscious at times and she worried people would laugh at her.  An argument ensued between her and her mother that I can only imagine will be the first of many to come throughout the years as it relates to what she is wearing and how she looks.  All turned out well and Lily looked absolutely gorgeous as you can see in her picture above.

Lily took her role as part of the wedding party quite serious.  In her mind she was not to be separated from the rest of the bridesmaids the whole wedding.  When she realized she would not be sitting at the head table, and had to sit next to us, well that just did not sit well with her.  "Daddy, I feel like a baby having to sit next to you."  After more explanation and some hot chocolate, we got passed that hurdle.  The rest of the evening consisted of speeches, cotton candy and finally some dancing.  Lily had been looking forward to dancing the whole evening.  Daddy was looking forward to dancing with the beautiful flower girl, and then she went and ripped my heart out.  She was a flower girl and she wanted to dance with the bridesmaids.  She did not want to have  anything to do with her Daddy because all of the sudden, I am now embarrassing.  And so it begins. 

It has to be mentioned that the bridesmaids were so sweet to Lily including her, letting her hang out with them, and making her feel very special.  Thank you Ms. Lauren, Brandie, Mycall, Kathryn, Kelly, and Jessica who gets special mention for raving about the blog.

In the end, all the excitement and dancing got the better of Lily and she started to fall asleep at the table.  Even though she would dance with her old man, I took the opportunity to scoop her up and cuddle her while she fell asleep in my arms.  She will always be my baby girl.

Meanwhile, back at the homestead, Abby and Chloe completed their last soccer game.  The other team didn't show giving them their one and only victory of the season.  They scrimmaged each other and because they were short a player, Lawson Boy got to play with them.  Apparently he is pretty good dribbling the ball up and down the field, he just cannot grasp the concept of direction yet.  The girls recieved their trophies for the soccer season, and Lawson recieved one for attending every game.  He was so excited to tell us when we arrived home, "I gotta twophy".

Now the weekend is over, the chaos, bickering and constant noice is back...........and we couldn't be happier.

Ashey, you looked beautiful!

Jeff, Kasey, Flower Girlzilla, Abby, Chloe, and Lawson Boy

Terrible "Deuces"

No, terrible 2 is not a reference aimed at disparaging the twins, though it it would be an understandable mistake to make that assumption.  While Abby and Chloe certainly still have their moments and will remain a handful for years to come, they have turned the page on some very irritating behaviors.  Potty mishaps are infrequent, severe tantrums have diminished considerably, and they are learning to play together as well as with others without constant intervention.  Case in point, we had dinner with all of Kasey's family last night with all the kids sitting at one end of the table together, and not once did we have to get up and deal with a behavioural problem.  The funny thing about kids is just when you think you are about to move upon a stage and life is going to get easier, the next stage presents a new challenge.  Right now, our biggest challenge is the extreme decibel level of noise that never seems to desist.  While Abby, Chloe and Lily are learning to play together nicely, they have yet to learn how to do so quietly.  Lawson  Boy only knows two levels of speaking, loud and louder.  Along with passing into new stages and noise levels comes the wonderful technique that every child has mastered, the art of talking back.  As we celebrate not listening to crying babies, no more poopie diapers, no more expensive formula and packing everything including the kitchen sink just to leave the house; nothing will make you want to drop kick your child more than a 3 year old talking back to you in a tone that implies they think they are not only smarter than you, but you may be the dumbest daddy or mommy alive.  It has been verified that this is the root cause of gray hair.

So if terrible 2 does not refer to the twins, that just leaves our son who is currently 2 years old and when asked how hold he is, will now respond with 2 fingers in the air, "deuces".  Admittedly, there was some coaching involved, and it provides me great pride and humor when he does it.  The Boy makes us laugh constantly, but when he goes into Terrible Lawson mode, it is terrible.  He has always been so easy to put down at night and when tired will even ask to go to bed.  That all changed less than a week ago, when he just decided he no longer wants to go to bed at night.  Similar to Pavlov's dog, when we announce "bedtime" in the evening, Lawson immediately jumps up, point his finger, and in half mad half cry voice, "no Daddy, I not tired, I no go to bed".  When he is not getting through to us, he will change tactics on you, "Daddy, I cuddle you pease".  Along with the face that accompanies his remarks, how can you not give in? 

He too has mastered the art of talking back, though we are not always certain what he is yelling at us about, and frankly it is probably best we don't know based on the evil look in his eyes.  All the children are stubborn in there own way, but when Lawson Boy decides upon something, there is no convincing otherwise.  Luckily he is a boy and his male attribute of compartmentalization and the ability to forget when something else peaks his interest can be easy to take advantage of.  The girls may be playing with something and the Boy decides they are having too much fun so he interrupts and steals a toy.  Just try to convince him to give that toy back.  In his mind, that is now his toy and you are not getting it come hell or high water.  Face is scrunched, snot is running, mouth is screaming, and you decide bribing is the only way to diffuse him.  "Lawson, you want some ice cream?"  His first response is always, "NO!", and then it computes what you just asked him.  Tears dry up instantly, frown turns into a face of surprise, and he politely responds, "oh yes pease, I wike ice cweam".

Earlier it was mentioned that potty mishaps have become infrequent, and our most recent occurrence still baffles me somewhat.  The 3 younger kids were down for nap, so Lily generally will watch some TV or play games on the computer while they rest.  Sounds like an opportune time to watch some football and doze off.  While in a semi-comatose state, a bright white streak appeared alerting me to something odd.  The realization hit me that Lily was streaking through the house, so naturally the question begged, "Lily, why are you naked"?  And she responded ever so matter of fact, "Dad, I had to go potty really bad, when I sat down the lid was closed, and I wizzed everywhere." 

It happens to the best of us. 

Jeff, Kasey, Lily, Abby, Chloe, and Deuces