Our "Parrot" Twins... and Teething Evie

Some more updates.... we'll start with the house. It is done... yep, done. Now before you get too excited (myself included) we are not all situated yet. At this point I would be happy if we were by March 2010 :) We even got the living room done/remodelled ..... I packed up the kids and went to stay with my mom for almost 2 weeks while it got gutted and re-sheet rocked. It looks like a completely new room with the new windows, new entertainment center, steamed carpets (they look like new again)... AND our new 55" LED TV and blue ray player we have streaming Netflix movies instantly. LOVE IT. And just today we had a cleaning service come through and do a thorough cleaning for us to catch us up (we hadn't cleaned since we started the remodel - what was the point?) and to clean up all the construction "dust" and residue. Next we'll do some more touch ups (paint etc) and put up the closet organization in our master suite and we MIGHT be ready to move in after that :). By move in, I mean move our stuff into the new master suite, then get our old master suite ready for the boys to move into and move them.... then FINALLY get Evie into her own room (the boys' old room). Whew :) Always SOMETHING going on at the Hoglund household, I tell ya :) And somewhere in there I even found the time to make/order up Xmas cards that also double as Evie's baby announcement. Those should be going out soon - so keep your eye out for them.

Let's start with Evie this time. Evie is now almost 4 1/2 months old and has been teething for the last month or so. She crams that little fist of hers fully into her mouth and chews on her fingers to no end. And she's got those red rosy cheeks that usually are a good clue a tooth is about to emerge. All in all she is handling it quite well and still pretty laid back as far as babies go. She rolled over from belly to back for the first time shortly after turning 4 months (actually during her photo shoot the other weekend).... and today she found her feet while waiting for me to get her morning bottle ready. She had found her hands a month or so back - amazing how those can entertain them so well (the way they look in amazement at them). She is a little chatterbox too. Giggling at us... gurgling ..... and her newest, squealing and screeching with excitement. She's getting big too. At her 4 month appt she was 14 lbs 3 oz... almost double her birth weight which puts her in the 75+ percentile. And she's already busting out of her 3-6 month clothes - darn it, I haven't even gotten her wearing half of the cute outfits I have in that size. They grow too fast.

The boys.... wow, I don't even know where to begin with them. They are little apes and parrots... meaning they copy EVERYTHING we do and say. And I have to admit... I did hear a slight "swear" (GDI) out of one of them the other day, copying me. Shame on me..... am watching myself closely now. But they will repeat almost ANY word you throw at them now and actually know and understand so many as it is. They can put together sentences and are quite understandable... to us, anyway, and love to ask questions then answer their own questions. "Where Daddy Go? Daddy Work." They are big into jumping now (the trampoline at ECFE is a big hit for them lately), and play hide and seek - they laugh SO hard when I find them. They also have full range of the house (vs being gated in the living room) ...... well almost full range - we close all the bedroom doors to make sure they don't get into things they shouldn't. But they are enjoying their new found freedom. They are obsessed with the vacuum and going into the closet to get that out - wish they knew how to use it :) And they love making their little sister smile and laugh.... Oscar especially who just can't give her enough kisses and hugs throughout the day.

Well, there is tons more to note, but not enough room on this page (or enough strength in my fingers to type it out)...... so let's just get onto the picture portion y'all are scrolling straight down to anyway.

First off just had to share these pictures of Evie. I had taken them before their photo shoot the other weekend to see if that adorable little tutu would work for pictures. Guess it did :)

BTW - if these bigger pictures keep getting cut off for you (what I keep hearing from some), click on them and you will be directed to the original picture on our picasa.com site

MacKay and Oscar playing in their new living room. Oscar loves running after and kicking the ball as hard as he can ... and MacKay loves his Tonka dump truck and speeding around the house with it.

MacKay and Oscar watching themselves on video (from earlier this year). Also, a glimpse of our new TV, entertainment center, painted (vs panelled) wall, and pine ceiling. Also, threw in a picture of Evie enjoying the show during some tummy time as well.

It might not happen often, but it DOES happen.... the boys playing nice with each other. Reading a book together, and working together to empty all the shoes out of our front hall closet.

Rough-housing with Daddy. The boys love horsie back rides - they sit on Chris's back while he is lying on the floor relaxing and shoot "Uppie... Uppie.... UPPIE" until he finally gives in and gives them a ride.

MacKay our line-backer: Lately MacKay loves to tackle Oscar anytime he sits on Chris while he is lying on the floor. He'll come from no where and just tackle Oscar to the ground which usually results in Oscar whining or crying, and MacKay feeling pretty proud of himself.

Had to put these pictures in of Evie in her "Little Lady" Ladybug out fit from my Aunt Claudia, Uncle Greg and cousins Sarah and Becky. She also has a little lady bug dress from them that I hope to capture on film to share at a later date too.

Evie's first encounter with the exersaucer. She really loved all the noises it made - the boys immediately recognized their old toy and "showed" her how to fully utilize it over and over and over again. Her eyes were wide with amazement over all the flashing lights and noises. Note: check out the rosy (teething) cheeks too :)

MacKay with one of his favorite all time books (which has seen it's better days and has been taped up many times) "The Roly Poly Spider". Oscar playing with Daddy's drill and helping him hang some blinds in our new bedroom.

Lastly, a picture of Evie from today where she had found her feet.

Check back in a couple weeks. Hope to post fun Xmas pictures - maybe even a picture with Santa (and my kids crying of course). Have a very Merry Christmas everyone.

Professional Photos .... Come See

We had the kiddos professional photos taken by Trina Sutton (Luminous Prints) - Evie's ~ 4 month and the boys' ~2 year pictures. She came out to our house this past Sunday 12/6 and we already have the CD of the images. How is that for service eh? And they turned out great. The boys really had a fun time with Trina too - she was sooooo good and patient in letting them warm up to her. Oscar loved playing with her camera - pushing the buttons to take pictures and then quickly running to the other side to see what the picture looked like (they do this with us too). And MacKay was pulling his "lilghtening speed" routine and kept hiding behind her and then running away giggling when she would turn around and try take a picture of him.

Had a hard time going through and picking favorites..... as always, I have troubles paring it down... so there are a lot of them. Hope you enjoy.

P.S. Stay tuned for an update soon as I have a ton of my own photographs and updates to add out here. See you soon, I hope.

So Sorry.... it's been a while.

So sorry everyone. It has been FAR too long since my last post.... things have just been REALLY chaotic with the kids and with the things going on with the house. To bring everyone up to speed though.... Evie is now 3+ months old and the boys celebrated their 2nd birthday at the end of October... and for the most part we're staying pretty healthy.

The house.... well, to date: Outside: all siding and trim is up, roof is on, new garage is finished and the old driveway has been ripped up and now we have a class 5 driveway until next spring when it can be finished. Mudroom: walls are painted, tile is down, trim is finished, washer/dryer are installed and working (tho sticking out too far from the wall... hopefully something we can fix) and the slop sink is installed and ready to use. Master Bedroom/Suite: bathroom is painted, floor is tiled, shower is ALMOST done (waiting for a few more pieces of tile), sink/vanity is in .... so that is almost done. The bedroom, painted basically. Just need to get other things done and we can have the carpet installed and hopefully move our stuff in soon. And as if that isn't enough, starting this weekend (while I take the kids to my mom's for 1+ week) our living room is going to get an update.... removing the panelling and putting up sheet rock (and painting), wood ceiling, putting in can lights on the ceiling (this room gets no natural light), putting in a gas fireplace with wood surround (big entertainment system to hold 55" TV we recently bought for it too)..... and all the other small stuff that goes along with all that. This has been a nightmare.... tho totally needed for the space we need. We are SOOOO looking forward to this being over and not living in a complete chaotic mess like we do now. Can't wait for y'all to see it.

The boys.... well like I said we celebrated their 2nd birthday. We got them a Thomas the Train themed cake as they are completely OBSESSED with Thomas these days. They had fun opening gifts and really "got" the whole thing a bit more this time around. Still made quite a mess of themselves with the cake (MacKay's cheek was stained blue from the icing for a couple days)... but they really gobbled it up. I cannot remember all the things we've done in the past month or more... but I can say these guys are little talking parrots lately. The mimic just about EVERY word we say (no swears yet) and catch on so quickly to things, sayings, words etc. We can actually have real conversations with them and understand them now. It is SO much fun. They LOVE being read to now too (something they didn't have the interest or patience for before). They point items out in the books that they know and find amusement in being so smart :) They took their first visit to the dentist a week or so ago and did somewhat well. Oscar was more than willing to open his mouth and let them peek in..... MacKay (as expected) wanted NOTHING to do with the whole situation and was on the verge of crying the entire time, so we didn't push. They also had their 2 yr check at the doctors..... amazingly enough their weights are still less than a pound different. We've always thought Oscar seemed "beefier" or more solid.... and were totally expecting that he finally had surpassed MacKay by a few pounds now.... but nope. They are right in the 60-75% range for height and weight too. They got 4... yes 4... shots at this last visit which was horrible. They now are at the age where they "get" what is going on and fight it. It was miserable to watch them go through it this time... but I am so thankful that my niece Kelly was able to come to the appt with me (Chris couldn't get away from work) as she did a GREAT job helping to hold down and console the boys during the ordeal.

Some individual things about the boys that are just really amusing or enjoyable lately..... Oscar is completely consumed by the color green now. He's always preferred green toys and things.... but it has gone to a completely different level now. When I dress him in the morning he will throw a complete fit if I don't put a green shirt on him, or at least the one he wants. I even tried to put an undershirt (long sleeved under a polo) on him and he FREAKED out cuz he thought I was trying to pull a fast one on him after he had made it SO clear he wanted his GREEN polo :) It's a struggle most days, but I have to step back from it and laugh cuz it is sorta cute and funny too. MacKay has become a "blankie" boy. Not sure if this is cuz of the new addition to our house (Evie) and he is reverting..... or if it is related to Elmo. For a while there we couldn't have the TV on if we weren't watching Elmo in Grouchland - a show about Elmo on a quest to get his blanket back from someone who stole it from him. I am more apt to say it is the latter of the two (Elmo).... he won't leave the bedroom without it every morning, and whenever he needs consoling he grabs his blanket and rubs the smooth satin edges against his upper lip. It's super cute... but I really am bummed that we ALMOST avoided the whole "blanket attachment". Darn that Elmo..... :) MacKay also is a FANTASTIC hugger. He gives the best hugs, especially at bedtime. Oscar is more the kisser of the two... very European too.. he likes to kiss your lips and then your cheek. Almost like the classic "Auf Weiderzain" that Heidi Klum gives on Project Runway followed by a peck on both cheeks :)

Onto Evie. She is growing a TON. Getting the big chubby cheeks and legs. I love it. She has gotten very good at tummy time and props herself way up on her elbows and really gets up there. She is grasping items too... she actually will grab them right out of your hands and has some pretty good coordination already. She is an endless supply of smiles and giggles too. Such a fun stage. Still sleeping through the night so soundly (we started swaddling again as a way to help her self soothe in the early morning), and is drinking 5 six ounce bottles daily. Gets up at around 7:30/8am each morning... and usually to bed by 9:30/10pm. Can't complain there. She fights gas pretty badly though - which I know is typical for this age, just so hard to see her struggle with it every night. Poor little thing took her first trip to the ER while Chris and I were down in Mankato at a friend's wedding. Gma Chris was watching the kiddos and saw multiple concerning signs throughout the day and brought her in. She had some pretty tough tests run (blood work and a quick cath.... unnnnngghhh those are horrible) but she made it through and it must have just been a little bug that hit her quickly and then was over just as quickly.

Well..... SO many pictures to share. BTW, we're planning on condensing Evie's birth announcement and our holiday greeting cards together.... so if you have a new address you don't think we know about, please send it onto me via email or leave a comment here. You can also find me on Facebook as well.

The boys with one of their new favorite birthday toys... their light sabres (from Uncle Dennis). We had gone to the Vagts' to watch a FB game one night and the boys wouldn't let go of the Vagts' boys' light sabres... so we told Uncle Dennis to get them some of their own for their birthday. They love these... and of course, Oscar has the green one. :)

A cute picture of MacKay lying on his tummy watching Thomas videos.... and of MacKay with Evie on her play mat. They both love rolling around under there with her.

Love this picture I got with Oscar and Evie. It is definitely too much for me to expect that I can get a good picture of all three of them together, but I CAN get a few cute ones with just a couple of them. Also a picture of one of the 2 crazy Thomas tracks the boys have. We set them up and they don't last long before getting torn apart (whether intentional or not).... but this is one from Gma Chris that we set up at her house for them.

Just a few cute pictures of Evie.... propped up on the couch, smiling in her swing...... and looking so angelic while sleeping (gosh I hate nuks though) :)

I always have to include the food pictures with the boys. They LOOOOOVE pizza. If you mention we're having pizza for dinner they run around saying "Pizza Pizza Pizza Pizza" until they sit down to eat. They actually sound a lot like the Little Caesar's pizza guy from the commercials back in the 80s (am I dating myself here?). MacKay has a way of smearing everything he eats across his entire face. And just another picture eating at Gma Chris's - ring bologna, raw fries and baked beans..... yum. They really are getting good at forks and spoons now and need very little assistance.

Evie's smiles are something that make my heart melt. I can be in the worst mood, so run down from the boys, no energy... and I see this and can't help but just giggle and let everything else go.

Bath time.... the boys enjoying a bath in Gma Chris's huge jacuzzi tub, and Evie enjoying her first "real" bath (in water vs sponge bath).

Is this not one of the cutest pictures I've captured of the boys? I should print out a huge one of this and every time they hit, bite or push each other show them that they DO love each other :)

Play mat time for Evie.... when she gets a little irritable, her play mat always does the trick. Whether lying on her back playing with the things dangling down.... or propped up on her elbows staring up at the huge world around her.

Lastly... the boys' 2nd birthday. First off a picture of the cake, which really turned out nice. The boys with two of their biggest fans (their cousins Kelly and Brandon). And then just a ton of pictures of them cramming cake in their face. (Note: remember, the blue icing on MacKay's face actually stained....) :)

Well, hopefully I can get on here again before Xmas. We have a lot going on in the next month.... I am taking the kiddos to my mom's for 1+ week (during Tgiving week) while our living room gets overhauled, finishing up the rest of the addition, we have a photo shoot scheduled with a local photographer up here for the boys' 2 yr and Evie's 3 month pictures --- hoping to get some good ones for the Xmas card. But I will try my best to keep taking pictures and getting updates out here. To you and your families.... have a wonderful Thanksgiving.