Maddie Makes Cupcakes!

Maddie found a muffin pan at the store the other day that makes leaf and pumpkin shaped cupcakes. She could not wait to make them for her "Aunts". Today she added all the ingredients, mixed the batter and filled the pan. She also enjoyed eating as many cupcakes as she could before delivering to Aunt Holly and Aunt Karla!

Another Failed Attempt at Potty-Training

We tried to potty train again, but after 2 days of sitting on the potty with no deposits made -- and 2 packages of pull-ups soiled, the pediatrician advised us to stop and wait again. They found the pull-ups were more fun to put on their head sand then asked for their diapers back!

Side note: Ben realized that if he does not drink, he doe snot need to go to the potty and as such, refused to drink. I think waiting was a good idea.

Toy Box Forts

While I was out to lunch with a friend, Chris was watching the kids. I found these images on Facebook when I returned. The toy boxes are a nice little place to hide out and snuggle in with our favorite blankets and pillows.

Daddy's Shoes

11 PM Play Time

The kids are not yet potty trained -- much to my chagrin - and I am using the new beds as an incentive. Well one night after Daddy went to work, they refused to go to sleep and were raising quite a ruckus in their cribs. When I went upstairs, Ben asked to sleep in his bed. As it was late, and I was tired, I put him in his bed, and then Maddie in hers. Not five minutes later this is what I found. They loved it and were playing for about 20 minutes before deciding to join me downstairs. It all ended with them back in their cribs for the night and the beds have not yet been put into use as we are not yet using the potty... the prerequisite for the beds...or rather incentive??

Clifford Watching Clifford

I bought a Clifford costume at the MOM sale this year. I was trying it on Ben as he is the biggest and he just loved it. Then...Clifford came on the TV and he had to sit and watch it while wearing his costume.

Doll Strollers

Christmas of 2009 Aunt Bridget and Uncle Chris gave Maddie a doll set including the stroller. While the doll and the other accessories are in her room, the strollers never cease to be a source of constant amusement. I need to mend them regularly as the kids are too big for them -- and always were, but they insist on strolling around the house one pushing the other, or just use it as a nice snug seat.

New Rooms!

For their third birthday, the kids got their own room. Maddie's is painted Pepto Bismal pink with butterfly stickers, and Ben's is painted light yellow with two sailboats on the wall. We were about to move a bed into Maddie's room, but are waiting for Ben's bed to be available before we start anything. I was hoping the beds would be the incentive to get OUT of diapers, but they absolutely refuse to use the potty, potty chair -- or anything to do with no diapers. Soon we are going to have to go hardcore to get this done, but I was to get Ben's bed in place first. Here are the pics of the rooms.... (additonal pics of Maddie's room can be found on the link to the right)

Avalon, NJ

The kids have not been to the beach since they went with Aunt Michele when they were about 6 months old, so Chris and I decided to try if for a day. We were not sure if Ben would like it since he always asks to have his hands cleaned when playing with sand. (not one of his favorites!) So we took them to Avalon for the day to try it out. Maddie kept asking for a surf board and running across the sand for more sand to throw into the ocean and running away from the waves as they come to shore. Ben ont he otherhand was so funny! He could not get enough of the surf! He was all but diving through the waves. He wanted to go deeper and deeper in. Unfortunately, the lifeguards were calling people back due to a strong undertow so we kept him close to shore. They had a blast and were asleep within 5 minutes of getting back into the car. We can not wait to take them again.

USTC Anniversary Day with Aunt Liz and Caleb

The United Sports Training Center celebrates its anniversary on July 3rd with a moon bounce, games and food. Having never been to the celebration, Aunt Liz and Caleb came with us to enjoy the festivities and act as backup for Mommy. As I have never seen their fields, I found it interesting that they are all fenced off with an astro-turf type covering. There were two moon bounces set up and we let Ben and Maddie go into the one that seemed to be for the smaller kids. Well it turns out that it was not for smaller kids as they were also letting some bigger kids (maybe 10 or older??) in with toddlers. Maddie was all for this as she can be pretty rough, but Ben was less than pleased. Some other toddler go stuck under a tube that the older kids were pinning to the floor, so that was the end of that for us! It was then off to the races as they both wanted to run all around the lovely fenced in areas.

After the racing around, we did enjoy an nice picnic lunch of hotdogs and juice. Maddie (surprise of surprises!) actually sat down on the blanket to eat her dinner. Ben had much more fun running around the blanket and biting a hotdog being held for him with each pass. They had a lot of fun but as the crowd grew closer to the firework time, we decided to leave. There were many other opportunities that weekend to see fireworks.

Marsh Creek

On July 2nd, Chris and I took the kids to Marsh Creek for the first time. They loved the little bit of sand near the water's edge and scampering from the grass to the water. This was their first trip to a place I spent so much time as a girl. My parents used to take one of our sailboats -- day-sailers to fast catamarans to Marsh Creek until Dad got sick of putting a mast up and down each time and then got a boat moored near the Chesapeake. (Now it is in s slip, no more mooring for these guys!). Anyway, i have such fond memories I could not wait to see how they would like it and sure enough, they loved it! We later brought them back with bathing suits so they could go in past their knees and sit in the water (I don't think it is still polluted?!?!). It was a great afternoon. Next step is to bring Mom-mom out as our fisherman expert!

Good Luck Cousin Andrew!

On June 28th, the whole Yeingst family met at Jim's house for a fond farewell to Chris' nephew Andrew. He was leaving that night to start basic training for the Air Force. We all got to meet, eat and chat a lot. The kids had a great time with Katie and Emily as well as Kelsey and all the aunts and uncles. The biggest hit of the party was the hammock and all the kids had a great time trying to climb up -- and stay up!

Additional photos can be found using the link on the right.

Splish Splash!

This is another oldie from 6/26 when we bought a tiny baby pool and set it up for our weekend with Christian. The kids were all over the pool and we were surprised to see that they were slashing each other and Christian with buckets of freezing cold hose water. Christian was actually asking them to pour more water over his head! We were just stunned at how much fun they could have with a few inches of water and 3 buckets.Unfortunately the pool is no longer with us, but we did upgrade to a larger one.

Additional photos can be found using the light to the right.

School BUS!!!!

Ben just loves school buses. He lets everyone know when one passes by and got very excited over matchbox school buses too. It turns out that one of our neighbors, a mother of triplets, bless her heart, is a school bus driver and was kind enough to bring one home one day for Ben to see. So we got up extra early, dressed and loaded into the wagon to ride down to her house. Ben was so excited when she came up the road that I was thankful for the seat belts in the wagon. She parked on the street and hit the kill switch so that he could run around and even sit in the driver's seat! He just loved it. Many thanks to our nameless neighbor for letting Ben have the run of the bus! Additional pics can be found on the link on the right.

Fireworks!

I took the kids to see the 4th of July fireworks in Downingtown, but since i was by myself, I did not take any pictures. Ben loved it and kept holding his hands up to his eyes saying he was "put my eyes on" (like binoculars?). Maddie was interested for about 5 minutes and then asked me to put George back on the DVD player. *Sigh*
On the 11th, Chris and I were pretty sick and worn down, but at the last minute took all three kids to the fireworks in Chester Springs. They loved it, and by they, I mean Christian and Ben. Maddie checked out early again, but alas, that was to be expected. We had all 3 of them piled into the back of the truck with blankets and the sort scattered around. Christian liked the fireworks the best, which is surprising, but he kept saying "I love the fireworks!'. We were very excited.
I have attached pictures of the kids in the back and an earlier picture of Ben with his ice cream which he felt needed a special dance.

Bye-Bye Miss Jean :-(

Today Ben had his last speech therapy session. Miss Jean came and sat with him for about 20 minutes and it was clear -- rather quickly -- that Ben is speaking above his age. She calculated that his speech is roughly that of a 4 to 4 1/2 year old! It seams that in the last three months he progressed so quickly that he is now passing his chatty sister! We are so excited, but so sad to see out visits with Miss Jean end. The whole process was so easy and the people were wonderful. As an aside I would really like to know who taught Ben the word "why?" as this is a constant question. And if you ever ask Ben "why?" he now answers 'because". He is too funny and we look forward to hearing him express his thoughts on the world around him....well maybe. ;-)

Much thanks to Miss Jean and all the folks at Early Intervention for another wonderful success story!

Happy Father's Day!

Today for Father's Day, Chris did not get to sleep in. He did not get a special dinner and he did not get a new driver --mostly because he said HE wanted to buy it. What he did get was 2 hours to watch a great show on TV, uninterrupted nap time and no baby duties until tubby time. He also got handcrafted cards made by two of his three offspring. (Christian does not like painting with his brother and sister) Above are photos from the scene that Chris came downstairs to after his pre-work nap. Maddie was painting her body and Ben was mixing them all up for make a masterpiece. (Mommy was hysterically laughing in the corner!)

A-Team Party!

The A-Team had a reunion last night and it was such fun! Maddie, who is not very affectionate, loved snuggling with Uncle Joe and then with Aunt Jaci! The kids received some great new toys -- one of which makes noise! Below is a video of the fun that can be had with hula hoops! Maddie and Ben had a mishap and Ben conked Maddie in the cheek with his noggin -- I cut that part out. They had such a good time running around the yard and then playing with the hulahoops like trained dogs.

After the kids went to bed, then it was time for fun as adults -- Catch Phrase time! Thanks to all who came, we all miss you tremendously! We hope ot have another reunion before the end of the summer.

Backyard Observations

I am sitting in the sun room checking email as I have sent the little cherubs out into the yard. As with most things, we started with a time out for throwing sand, Maddie's favorite pastime. Then we talked about keeping the sand IN the sandbox. Another time out and then bliss...

Maddie played quietly in the sand box while Ben threw stick into a bush.
"Mommy look!"
"What are you doing Ben?"
"I throw stick!"
"Why?"
"Because"
"Because why?"
"Ummm..... because."
"OK."

Next came a visit from the water meter reader. Maddie walked right up to him and hugged his legs. Is this the same child who screeches "NO!" whenever a member of her family tries to hug or kiss her? I guess you need to be someone new.

From there we moved onto the sun room where a toy workbench/table saw was the latest and greatest thing. They took turns saying "hi" to each other through the holes in the cork board back. On to the saw and then back to saying "hi" through the cork board again.

In the midst, I sneezed. Maddie just said "Bless you" for the first time today. She may learn manners yet. I am so proud. I still melt a little when Ben says "thank you" or answers with a "you're welcome". Little steps. Little steps.

Now back outside where we played our favorite game of "Mommy is going to get you!" Lots of giggles and scampering about.... such fun.

At 12:30 they walked right into the sun room and into the house. No screaming, no fits, just walked right in for a drink and lunch. This morning has been as close to perfect as I would ever want. I just had to type in all in for future appreciation.

A Visit with Kiley and Yemmers (oh yeah, and Aunt Michele)

Yesterday we had a visit with Aunt Michele who brought Mommy's "niece and nephew", Kiley and Yemi. We had a great time walking them on their leashes around the house!

Aunt Michele and Uncle Dave are MARRIED!!!

Friday was such a beautiful day. Aunt Michele and Uncle Dave got married and had the most wonderful wedding and the reception was just over the top!. The Pastor did such a great job with the wedding. She talked about Seamus (we miss you!) and how he led Michele over to the party where she met Dave. Then she talked about the "break" and how they found their way back to each other. It was just perfect.

The reception was such fun and everything were beautifully. Michele's parents had Irish dancers come and perform for the happy couple and Bud gave a beautiful speech -- not a dry eye in the house! It was a glorious day and the best wedding ever! Congratulations to Dave and Michele. Chris had fun with the camera and additional photos can be found on the Ben and Maddie photo link to the right. Please join us in wishing Mr and Mrs Patterson and happy and wonderful life together!!!

The Easter Bunny 2009

We took the kids back to see the Easter Bunny this year. I prepped them a bit better by talking about the Easter Bunny -- and explaining that he is the biggest bunny you will ever see, but he is soft and cuddly, just like Teddy! Ben was really excited and kept saying "Ea-sah Bunny!" on the ride over. Maddie, well she was ignoring me hoping it would go away. We took them right before dinner and Maddie was happy until she saw EB and realized that she would be expected to actually approach that freakishly large rabbit. She was pretty brave and we made it quick. No wriggling this time and Ben actually did not smile, but also would not get off EB's lap. It is so much fun to see them change from one year to the next. Hopefully they will mature enough to get the concept of Santa by December!

Teddy

We are so excited to announce that we have a dog for the weekend. A friend from high school has three dogs and the littlest of them, Teddy, we getting piked on by the bigger dogs. He tried and tried to work with them and he was still struggling. We know all about that with our challenges with Porterhouse. We have really really missed having a dog, especially now that we have a yard and seemed like a good fit. We have him for the weekend to make sure Teddy is not just switching bully dogs for bully kids.

So Teddy came to our house yesterday to start the trial. It was a little hard for Teddy at first. He still looks for his old Daddy, but he seems to be enjoying the run of the house and the petting of the kids. The kids were over the moon at having a dog in the house. We are working with them to understand that Teddy is not a stuffed animal and we need to be quiet and calm with him. We also used this as an excuse for removing the pacis. I told them that Teddy wants to eat their pacis and we can not have them outside of the crib and so far so good. Maddie had a little meltdown this morning, but seems to have gotten over it. (Yeah Teddy!!!)

I attached pics and there are more on the link to the right. More to come!

Blog Updates

We are experiencing technical difficulties with updating the blog as the laptop is at Dell for service. One week turns into two and next it will be three. More to come once the laptop comes back!

The past two days

As not everyone is on Facebook, I thought I would post Chris' note about two days of interesting events. Fortunately for all of you, there are no photographs...

The past 2 days have been somewhat exciting here at the Yeingst household. Let me recap so you all can enjoy it.

Tuesday, we put the twins down for their nap at 1 pm. Some time after that Maddie had a dirty diaper. Those with children are saying, “So what?” Sometime after that she decided to REMOVE HER DIAPER and play with the contents; covering herself and her crib. She is quite the artist. This went on for some time as Vanessa & I can figure. The twins are very good sleepers so we did not discover her artistic adventure until 3 pm. The horror of the discovery will scare me for years. But wait there’s more.

As many of you know, I work 3rd shift and like many of us I sleep during the day. Well, Wednesday, I was awoken around 4 pm to the sound of Vanessa screaming for me. I immediately come running downstairs to what was wrong. Vanessa doesn’t panic, so I knew it was something major.

Apparently, she was trying to be a good little wife and make a fire in the fireplace for when I woke up. We have been using the fireplace a lot over the past few weeks, including yesterday. When Vanessa went to sleep last night, she closed the fireplace but left the chimney open to vent the rest of the smoke.

Sometime over the course of the evening or day, a squirrel decided to climb into the chimney and down to the fireplace. And there he hides, until Vanessa opened the doors to the fireplace. Leaping out and scrambling around the family room, looking for a way out. This is where Vanessa and the kids began screaming and I enter the picture. The squirrel had hidden under an ottoman and I was able to coral him out the slider to the patio and outside. There is no moral to this story, except beware squirrel attacks. I just thought some of you would get a chuckle from these events. Imagine yourself going through this; the squirrel attack, I wouldn’t wish the diaper on anyone. OOOHHHH! The smell!!!!!

P.S. I expect to hear at least one reference to Cousin Eddie.

Paityn gets a puppy!

Cousin Paityn got a new puppy last weekend.... a pug named Nemo! He is so sweet and the kids were just nuts about him. Maddie thought he needed her blankie and had suck fun.

A Visit with Jake and Caleb

For the past 10 years, I have not spoken with a friend from college, Liz. (no drama, just fell out of touch) She contacted me a few months ago and we finally got together with the kids. Her son Jake is a little older than Ben and Maddie and her son Caleb is 3 months old. The kids all had a good dinner and played together so nicely. Ben even offered him toys! It was a nice visit and so good to see Liz after all these years. Here are some pics of Jake and Caleb.. I tried to get Ben and Jake to sit on the sofa together, but they just would not cooperate and Ben refused to keep his pants on!

Fun with Siobhan

On Thursday last week, Nana K and Siobhan babysat Ben and Maddie when Mommy and Daddy had an appointment at Christian's school. Maddie was fascinated with Siobhan and kept saying that the "baby is so cute!" She was in love, and so was Ben. When Mommy and Daddy came home, they took turns "holding" Siobhan. We were waiting for a fight to break out over who got to hold her next, but they waited their turns. Thanks to Nana K (AKA The Baby Whisperer) and Siobhan for such a great morning!

Longwood Gardens

Today I took the kids to Longwood Gardens to meet up with Carolyn Taylor. It was the first time I ever took them there and it was just wonderful. They had so much fun running all over and playing in the Children;s Garden. There were fountains to splash in and all sorts of paths to run down. It was such a great time we will be getting a family garden pass soon! Thanks to Carolyn for the great suggestion!!

"Ben I missed you!"

I had to run a quick errand this morning and since Ben has been so cranky, I took him with me. When we came home (about 30 min later) Maddie was so excited to see him she hugged him and said "Oh Ben! I missed you!" It was too cute and they hugged several times...enough for us to get a quick picture of it.

Too Funny Not to Post

This cracked me up! Christian won this hat for me at a fair a couple years back, and since I don't throw anything away.... I kept it and Ben found it. He was so funny running through the house with this hat and a basket containing his matchbox cars and 2 pretzels.

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow...

We finally got some snow and more is coming. The kids are so excited. Maddie runs to the front window shrieking "its snowing!" and pulling the curtains back. I have since tied them so she can see her snow without those pesky things in her way! During the last snow we took the kids outside where Maddie immediately threw herself on the ground and started making snow angel ... saying Snow Angel! over and over. We took them around in sleds too. Ben was so funny. He did not like the snow to actually stick to him and kept asking me to brush it off. Oh he is so like Mommy! You can tell by the picture that he is not quite sure about the snow. In his defense, his gloves are shorter than Maddie's and the snow was touching his bare wrist. The pictures are a little dark because we did this after nap time. More to come soon!