Giddy Up Taylor!

Guess who is doing the Froggy Crawl?

Ben Turner Slade V!!!! Turner is trying to crawl and actually, with much effort, he can do the "froggy crawl". His butt goes in the air and he hops forward. Good job, buddy! You are making us so proud!
"I'm off." I have a great video of him crawling toward his bottle. Check this out!!!

Feeling the Love

Every day, Ben and I wake up thanking our blessings. For real, we must say 100 times a day "Man, we love these boys. How lucky are we." I truly believe that the best gift we will ever receive is these two precious boys. I recently crossed path with someone's BLOG who had twin girls. She lost them both at 6 months to a genetic disorder. She did not know they were sick until they were 5 months old. I find myself reading her BLOG, crying as I read her story and continued struggles and saying a prayer that the Lord blesses my babies with good health!! I know everyone loves their kids, but I still wonder if everyone loves their children as much as Ben and I love Taylor and Turner. I mean we LOVE them!!

Taylor feels the love as Turner reaches for his hand.

Taylor gets some 1:1 attention with his oatmeal from Aunt Ellen! Aren't these shirts precious? The boys Great Aunt Betty gave them the shirts. (Betty is my second mother!!! She helped raise Caroline and I. Actually, spoiled us rotten. When mom and dad went out of town, we stayed at her house and took baths in her "big" bathtub, hid under her bed and rode around in her rabbit! The stories i could tell....but won't because Betty knows too much juice on me!)
Taylor feels the love from Boo!!

Mommy gets some much needed love from her boys at Water Street, while daddy worked in the yard. Poor guy was picking weeds all weekend! The yard has been so neglected and driving mommy crazy, so daddy is trying to get it to look good again.
Turner gets some love from his daddy!!

Yes, we're nosy!

The boys are totally into themselves and everybody else! It is official...we've had another weekend where their naps were that of a cat. 10 mins. here, 10 mins. there. A drop of a needle wakes them. They don't fuss, just talk loudly to each other, as they lay in cribs side by side. Guess the talking is to remind us..." hey, we're up, so anytime is good for you to come get us!"

Here are some favorite "nosy" photos from the weekend!
Boo is playing with Turner, who is more interested in looking out the window at Gan, who is working in the garden. Poor guy had a blow out on the way home from the outlet mall, but we couldn't stop on the highway, so the changing had to wait. He was fire engine red MAD!!!

Our sweet neighbors came over to visit and wanted a photo. As you can see, Taylor was admiring beautiful Gabby and Turner was trying to play with Lauren's fancy hairdo. I had toys waving in the air and making sounds, but nope, they were too into the girls for a photo opportunity! Poor Sterling (in the middle) was trying to keep the group in order for the photo.

Mommy tried to get a quick shot of Taylor playing with Gan. But, as I got the camera near, he looked my way.
Turner and Taylor checking something out...no telling!!!
This is my favorite 6:30am pose. As I try to entertain them while i pack the car and dry my hair, they are all into me. It is so nice to be loved by these two boys. As you can see, we have their toys set up so they can watch me cook in the kitchen. But the minute I leave the kitchen, their sweet admiring eyes follow my every move. Love those boys!!

Toileting Tuesday

Thank goodness, I did not have my camera handy because this would have made you all DIE from extreme laughter!!

Picture this: I was bored to death in a tax and ethics real estate class all day at the Hilton hotel in North Charleston. My noon, I was about to bust and had to pump. I had planned to go to Sabrina's office, but our morning session ran over, so i didn't have time to leave the premises to pump. Option one was to pump in the hotel parking lot. Option two--the ladies room.

There was a Sherwin Williams class also there and about 100 guys running around the hotel, parking lot, etc. Parking Lot option seemed shady.

Ladies room--at least, it was all ladies. I figured, it was lunch time, so hopefully the other classes would be adjorning and people would be leaving for lunch. Big mistake to make such a crazy assumption. What I did not know was that some big ladies group (who had really small name tags) were meeting at the Hilton to have a luncheon. And of course, they had to go to the bathroom before eating .

So, here I am, attached to the pump and sitting on the floor in the handicapped stall. Luckily, the bathroom had just be remodeled and was spotless. I swear I could have eaten off the floor. My extension cord was hooked into the outlet, slung past 5 stalls and going into the handicapped stall. All you could hear was w-a-k, w-a-k, w-a-k.

Yep, I am dedicated to my beloved boys. Pumping in the bathroom to get them milk to drink. Here's to Wednesday--thankfully, I will be back at work and my private pumping room in the nursery!!!

Sunday with Emily

Emily is our longtime babysitter. She has known and taken care of the boys since they were 3 months old. She is a student at the College of Charleston. We have missed her and are sure glad to have her back. She shared her adventures in Costa Rica with us...even the boys loved the slide show!! Here are some favorites from their afternoon with Emily. Emily, thanks for taking the photos for the BLOG!!!
Turner playing with his new phone. Naturally, the cord was more interesting to him than the phone itself.
Here is my new favorite of Taylor....he is enjoying "Ride Naked on my Pony Day".
Emily and Taylor lounge in the boy cave.
Turner playing with his new toys.
Emily looks on as Taylor and Turner watch their momma! You can't get anything past these boys!!!

Thanks Emily!! We look forward to seeing you in 2 weeks. Have fun in Beaufort next week!

Towne Center Fun

It was a chilly but pretty day, so Mommy and Aunt Sabrina decided to venture to the outside mall of Mount Pleasant, "Towne Center". Lucky for us, there was an outdoor Kids Festival there for the day!

After shopping and buying too many cute outfits, Mommy and Aunt Sabrina enjoyed lunch on the outside patio of Hatchells. As the girls enjoyed their lunch, the boys made a new friend. Funny thing.... Turner smiled at him one time, so this crazy looking stalker kept coming back for more! No lie, he acted like we were the only people at the outdoor festival!!! Every time we looked up, he was lurking around the Double Snap n Go, pretending to dance, drink from a cup, wave to them and making funny faces. Taylor had a staring contest while Turner gave him the "Ok, you were funny the first time, but I am way over you!" look. On his 100th arrival, I finally asked him if he wanted to get a photo with the boys. So, if he steals a baby or scares a child, we have his photo!!!!

Saturday's are made for Visitors!

My aunt Martha gives Turner some love after giving him his afternoon bottle. Martha who lives in Pawleys Island, came to visit for the afternoon and brought Nanny Dove and Amma too. What fun we had. Turner slept through the first part of the afternoon, then Taylor napped on our laps. Poor guy was fighting sleep so bad. He, like his mother, was so afraid that he might miss something!!!

Turner and Nanny Dove enjoy some 1:1 time. Nanny was especially fond of Turner's new ability to scoot and got a big chuckle out of his laugh! Nanny celebrated her 90th birthday this year. Doesn't she look great and even better, she is sharper than me!!! She has only seen them probably 5 times, but remembered who was who, who does what, who had this personality, etc. She amazes me every day!!! I was given the honor of her maiden name as my middle name (Elizabeth TIMMS Dove), so hopefully, I will be blessed with her clean bill of health!!
Taylor was so content with Nanny Dove that he fell asleep during this afternoon feeding. now, we know that he must have been tired. Actually, I think he wore himself out from dancing/jumping in his pony jumper. He was overjoyed to have 6 eyes looking at him and what a flirt he was. He was jumping, laughing, smiling and doing a jig with his feet. If only, I could show off the video.
Aunt Amma and Turner play on the couch, but only after a bottle and some floor time! Turner even showed off his "near crawl"...I swear he'll be crawling in less than 2 weeks!!!
Martha and Amma reassure Taylor that his momma is near!

Grandparents Week

Gan and Turner enjoying dinner together. Gan and Boo were in Charleston for the week, so we saw them lots. As you can see, Turner still loves his bottles, but loves pureed food even more. So far, they have enjoyed green beans and peas. I just finished making homemade butternut squash for tomorrow. Stay tuned! Figured "homemade" has got to be better than the processed stuff.
On Thursday, we had a surprise visit from Poppy! Woo-hoo. He had a lunch appointment on Thursday and decided to make the trip for the night. What a great time was had by all. Daddy and Poppy took the boys on a walk in the BOB, while mommy stayed home and got some chores done. As you can see, Taylor was loving the extra attention!! After the walk, Poppy fed Taylor, Gan fed Turner, Mommy and Boo cooked and Daddy drank a beer. After the boys went to sleep, the adults had a fabulous dinner and enjoyed a quick catch up in mommy's favorite room---her pink dining room!! It was so nice to have it back as a dining room...it's been a dumping ground for baby gear for way too long!!!
Boo and Gan helping get Turner and Taylor ready for bed. The mini Georgia fans are ready for bed and the 2009 season with their Georgia sleepers!!!
And the BLOG update would not be complete without mommy's favorite outfits on the boys for the week. Turner and Taylor love wearing their winter clothes (hopefully for the last few times!).

Real Food!

The boys started on rice cereal a few weeks ago, but now are starting the good stuff. Since my pregnancy and breast feeding diet has been less than nutritious, I figured I better start them on the healthy stuff first. Here is Turner and Taylor, sitting in their BUMBO seats, ready for their rice cereal and green beans. Mommy loves casseroles, so I figured they would too. And yes, they do too.

I actually have no pictures of the actual first green bean feeding because as soon as I loaded their spoon and put it in their mouth, they moved it around, swallowed and communicated "more". Turner tried to reach for the spoon, while Taylor just sat there and opened his mouth like "hurry up, Boo". Thankfully Boo was here to help me because I only have 2 hands and they seemed to like it so much that i don't think they would have been very patient with just me!!

We did get a cute video but BLOGGER would not download it. Guess i am not that BLOG savy afterall.

New Rock Star: Aunt Sabrina

Mommy and daddy enjoyed another night out on the town this weekend to help Aunt Sabrina celebrate her new career...Mt. Pleasant Rock Star!! Boo and Gan babysat for the boys, while daddy and mommy enjoyed some adult time. We started off with a quick dinner, then the real entertainment began. Poor daddy picked up the boy's cold, so he opted to hit the sack, missing the kareoke fun. Not mommy, who was down for the count!! Sabrina rocked the bar with her version of " I love Rock n Roll". Mommy was going to post the video, but loves Auntie Sabrina too much for that!!!

** This photo is Auntie Sabrina and Jeff, also known as Mr. Stall, her "friend". (She doesn't use the "b" word.)

New Addition to the Family

We proudly announce our third son, BOB. He is a fabulous blue double stroller and we are in love!!! He arrived on Friday via the storks, Boo and Gan, who picked it up for mommy. (As if we would ever have time to go to a store for a pick-up.) He is super fast, easy to push, good looking and the boys love him!! It has a huge visor to protect the boys from the sun or rain, a reclining feature so they can nap and folds up to fit in the back of the BENZ. Mommy was even able to push it with one hand and drink coffee with the other hand. Now, you know BOB must be good!!!! Life does not get better than this!!!

TGIF!

Turner and Taylor chillin' in their big boy outfits as mommy gets a quick photo!

It has been a great week...short feeling and sweet! I had two afternoons to myself while the boys were at school and got lots of little stuff done. I emptied out their closet of all their "too small" stuff, ran errands, did a little browsing and shopping (shhhh...don't tell Ben! Oh, yeh, it reads this too.)
Happy Camper #1....TAYLOR!
Happy Camper #2...TURNER!
Taylor and Turner playing in the pack n play!
And after a long day at school.....Mommy and Taylor went into the kitchen to make the evening bottles, "ride the pony", and prepare the rice cereal dinner and arrive back to find this moment.

Good night !

Party in the Nursery

Is it not funny the things that kids love? Here is Turner having a ball with his diaper changing pad. I took it off the dresser to do some cleaning and look down. Turner is fascinated with the straps. Yesterday it was the tag on his mattress pad protector and today it is the diaper changing pad strap! Funny boy. He is into playing these days....not loving, hugging, only PLAYTIME! He likes to be entertained, that is for sure. Meanwhile Taylor, just likes to be hugged, kissed, loved and sitting on his mommy's lap.Sleeptime...Taylor's favorite activity. Poor guys is still struggling with the cold and cough. I think he just does not feel "right". We have introduced a "night-night" and the boys love the,. Both boys were cuddled up with their blankies when I checked on them last night. Sweet things. Both boys have officially slept through the night for about 10 days now. How we ever survived when they were babies and eating every three hours at night, we have no idea!!!
Good morning! This is a classic photo--Turner is busy exploring and Taylor is content waiting for the action to come to him. These love bugs could not be any different!

Super Fun Saturday

Aunt Beth and Ms. Ashley entertained Turner at lunch today. In celebration of a beautiful (almost 80 degrees) Saturday, the Slade Family ventured to our favorite lunch spot with their favorite friends. Poes Tavern is a Sullivan's Island hot spot....cold beer, breezy porches, the best burgers and fish tacos in town and it's laid back style! It used to be a staple in mommy's pre-baby weekend night adventures!! A special thanks to the boys for their wonderful behavior...no fusses and only 1 blow out! Poor Taylor had to be changed in the trunk of mommy's car!

Aunt Sabrina and Taylor play as Edgar Allen Poe looks on.....
Daddy entertains Turner while mommy eats her yummy burger with pepperjack cheese and fried pickles....thank goodness breast feeding burns 1000 calories a day!!!

And another special treat.... Mommy's college roommates came by for a visit. Meredith was in town from Columbia, SC for the night and Christine made the trek to Mt. P. from Johns Island. We even got to see Meredith's big sister, Angela!! The Slade boys did great--no screams, only laughs and smiles were shared with Meredith and Christine!

Mommy, Meredith and Christine lived together on the 2nd floor of the AD Pi house in college. How things have changed...we used to cook mac and cheese in our tiny kitchen, sit on the side porch and chat while Christine smoked her Marlboro Lights and hide beer behind the milk in that nasty thing that the college called a refrigerator!! Now, we all have 2 boys each, are breast feeding, and are drinking more water than beer!! Times never change though...we sure enjoyed the quality time, although it was too short. It is hard to believe that us "girly girls" have 6 boys between us!!!
Baby Bennett, Christine, Liz and Taylor stop visiting for a picture. (Turner slept through this photo.)
Taylor shares his toys with Baby Bennett. Oh, the fun times and wild times that are ahead frighten us!! Hope these boys don't take after their mommy's!!! If their mommy's have anything to say about it, they will marry themselves a good ole AD Pi'!!!
Meredith holds Taylor, Christine takes Bennett and Mommy takes Turner. Meredith's two little boys, Andrew (5mos.) and Jackson (2ys.), were at home with their daddy, and Bennett's big brother, Noel (2ys.), was at a hockey game with his daddy. Eveyone take note...it used to be red wine, but now all that is on the coffee table are bottles, water and decaf coffee!!!

Dashing off to School

Here are the boys waiting on mommy to load them into the car for school.

The big question of the week from my "single kid" friends..."How in the world do you get them both to school in the morning?"TEAMWORK and PROPER PLANNING!!

All of the "grunt work" is completed the night before...bottles made, coffee set (even the sugar is put in my portable mug), pump stuff packed, pager, keys and office keys in the car, outfits set out, and lunches packed! No sense in stressing in the am, if it can be done with proper planning at night.

Of course, most nights, sleeping beauty Ben sleeps while I frantically get everything done so I can hit the sack. Don't get me wrong, he offers to help, but I am so type A, I like it done my way. I know, I know...I must give up the control one day, but that day will have to come later!!! But in exchange, he gets up during the night and does the wee hour feedings! Bless his soul...I am the night owl and he is the early riser, thank goodness!!

Ben and I both get up at 5/5:30 and shower. I pump, play on facebook, post things on the BLOG, fold clothes and pay bills while Ben feeds and takes the dogs out. At 6am, the music and lights are turned on in the nursery and the fun begins. We both agree that am is our favorite time of day with the boys. The little stretches, the yawns, the "oh, they did come back" smiles as they see us for the first time...they are the best!!!

We each take a baby and feed and dress them together in the nursery. After they are dressed, mommy finishes getting ready while daddy loads mommy's car with their bottles, my lunch, my coffee and breakfast. Most mornings, mommy is running a tad behind daddy, so as I dry my hair and put on my makeup in the downstairs hallway, I am making funny faces and singing to the boys. They are patiently waiting in the car seats ready for the trek to school.

With a car seat in each hand, I am out the door! ( And people wonder how I lost my baby weight so fast. Who wouldn't have arms the size of pencils after carrying these boy's around?)

Taylor and Turner enjoying the side view, as I load the stuff into the Benz. And the next big question...NO, we have no plans to buy a mini van anytime soon. No, I am not knocking those dedicated mommys with mini vans, but I am just not that girl (yet anyways).
And the best part, we're home after a fun day at school and work! Here is Taylor visiting with our neighborhood pals. (from left to right...Owen, Taylor, Sterling, Ashley, Lauren and Liza) These cuties are the main reason that we might never move!!! Yes, we will outgrow our small house sooner than later. But the thought of moving from a house where kids ride their bikes, sell lemonade on a hot summer day and stop by to see "the twins" always stops us from even going into open houses!!

Happy 1/2 year birthday, boys! (6mos.)

Turner playing on his belly...he'll have it no other way!! He can scoot around 360 degrees and is never where you left him.

Taylor playing with a toy. Taylor just figured out how to roll both ways, grab things while on his belly and is even now sleeping on his belly too!
Taylor still has his buzz cut, although it is now about 2 inches long and fine like his daddy. Mr. Serious, Turner, is getting thick hair like his momma!
Taylor and Turner getting ready to rob the toy chest at school!!! As you can see, Taylor is a good bit bigger than Turner in the head! A special thanks to our sweet neighbors, Lauren and Owen for these precious outfits!!!
" Not another one, momma!!"