The London Bug

Poor Maddie. She always seems to be at the receiving end of London's jokes, pranks, pushing, surprise attacks, tackles, and this time--


Teeth! As you can see by the two distinct marks on her right arm, Maddie was bitten by London today.


The bite mark was so distinct we can see every tooth! We are thinking of submitting Maddie's arm to the dentist in case he ever needs to make a mold of Londie's teeth. A very detailed mold, that is. This picture was taken 3 hours after the fact.

Every time London gets put in time out for hurting her sister, Madelyn always feels so bad to hear London cry that she can't help but bring her things: toys, dolls, always followed by a hug and kiss. She has a heart of gold.

Things That Must Stay

Last night when Ryan was trying to clean out all of the stuff we had on our DVR, I found myself practically hopping over the couch to get the remote out of his hand. I hadn't realized I was so attached to my collection of random clips. I just knew if they got erased I would feel empty inside, like there went 6 months of backup, to be used in case of insomnia or a really bad day. Here they are in no particular order.

1-Good Things Utah
One day GTU had a local kids dance studio do a guest performance. Picture if you will, twenty girls ages 4-11 decked out in complete 80's, side ponytails, leg warmers, off the shoulder shirt and big, bright polka dots, doing a dance routine to Madonna's "Material Girl." Just when you think their number is over and you might have a minute to recover from how overwhelmingly adorable they all are, they break out of their pose and finish up with Vanilla Ice's "Ice Ice Baby!" What I can't put into words is the hard core look on some of their faces as you can tell they take their moves very seriously. Even though I think they may have stolen some of my best moves from the '80s, watching this clip is like a trip down memory lane and a trip into the future all at the same time. In a few years, I hope to be that mom in the front row with a video camera, doing a slight version of all the moves because I couldn't help myself from learning them with my kids.

2-BYU Devotional
I would like to say I watch these devotionals religiously (ha!) every day at 11:00, but truth be told, they are right after Barney and in the chaos I forget to turn off the tv. One day something came on that made me put down everything I was doing immediately. It was a cello piece taken from the Spanish hymnal, which title translates to "Do Not Faint, O Saints," It was the most beautiful cello performance I have ever heard. I love classical music and especially the soothing voice of the cello. I loved the simplicity of this melody and found it immediately calmed my frazzled nerves. From the first time I heard this piece I felt I had found in it a familiar friend.

3-Full House
Just the name sends me back a good twenty years or so to my childhood living room, sitting on the couch with my sisters and wishing we could in fact join the Tanner family. My sisters and I used to record every episode, which recordings may have been the only reason I knew I could make it through another week. So fast forward to two weeks or so ago when Ryan was out of town (how else would I do this?) and I enjoyed an uninterruped little Full House marathon. I was surprised to find that, somehow out of those weekly recordings my brain memorized 90% of the scripts. So the punchlines weren't as funny, but what was even better than my memory served was John Stamos's singing. Oh how I wished for an Uncle Jesse as a child. Back to my original topic, the episode I recorded was the one where Uncle Jesse can't make it to the family reunion to be in the balloon race with Michelle because he has to write a song. I don't want to spoil the end for any of you :) but after a brief chat with Elvis and a motorcycle ride to rescue the Tanner fam with a broken down van, the song that Jesse does indeed come up with is by my standards, pretty brilliant. I thought so then, and I think so now.

4-Celebrity Look-A-Like
This show is my guilty pleasure. I don't know what my fascination is with taking an ordinary person who looks like a, shall we say, homely version of a famous person, and transforming them into a million bucks in just one episode. Maybe it's all the hair, makeup and fashion tips they give. Maybe it's the fact that most days I am not even watching this show dressed, so I feel glamorized vicariously through the look alike. At any rate, I can't get enough of this show. Favorite episodes: Val Kilmer, Mischa Barton, Eva Longoria.

5-Ellen's New Years Bash, Live from NY
I realize I discovered this in July, so maybe not as exciting as if I had seen it live 6 months ago. I was glad I stumbled upon it anyhow, because the man of the hour was Justin Timberlake. Now, I realize I have been waning in my loyalty to Justin. I no longer stand in front of the tv practicing his dance moves. I no longer make cupcakes to celebrate his birthday. I no longer read his interviews. In fact, I would say I am disappointed in how his personality turned out these days, but I will never sway on this point: the man has talent. I was pleasantly surprised to find that if you fast-forward through all the talking and just watch the performances, you will get a concert that is unique and satisfies that urge to dance. Case and Point: Cry me a River.

Last but not least:
6-Jon and Kate Plus 8
Even watching the commercials for this show makes me exhausted. If you haven't yet heard about this show, it follows the life of a family with two 6-year olds, and six 2-years olds. Truth be told, I missed the part about how this family actually GOT sextuplets, but they are now about the same age as my multiples. Where to start? I find myself laughing my way through each episode, because not only does it make me feel like-hey-twins are not the worst trial ever, but there are a lot of similarities between our parenting styles. Kate is sort of uptight and particular, while Jon is laid back and doesn't worry. To me they are extreme versions of me and Ryan. Watching this show gives me a renewed sense of counting my blessings, and at the very least some good parenting tips. Especially the potty training episode.

Anxiously Engaged

We have ourselves a wedding! Congratulations to Ryan's baby sister Becky and her fiance, Ryan! It may be a little complicated having two Ryans in the family, but we'll work that out later. Did I mention the wedding is in four weeks? Yes, Friday August 24, exactly four weeks from today, is the official date. So if there isn't time to get out invites, there is your announcement, friends and family members. Oh and Becky, here is a good picture of you if you don't have time to do engagement pictures. You guys are almost dried off from the twins' birthday party water fight! Just kidding, you guys, I have confidence it will all come together nicely! Welcome to the family, Ryan...Allen, that is.

Antelope Adventures

We found it kind of funny we have lived just off Antelope Drive for the past two years, and never taken the 10 minute drive out to Antelope Island...until last night, that is. Note we ran into people visiting from other countries, and here it is in our own backyard and we are by no means tour guides. However, we learned a whole bunch of new things about this attraction, including the fact that they brought in several buffalo over a century ago to multiply, and now there are 600. Not to mention the brine shrimp, which apparently run rampant in the lake. We would have seen the lake up close, in fact we set out on the hike, but turned around because we could no longer stomach what Ryan calls "the wet dog" smell, which sometimes blows over our house. It didn't seem to bother the whole bunch of people swimming in the lake, and maybe we will get brave someday and bring our swimsuits.


A new friend.



As expected.



From a distance.



Seagull watching.



Sweet sisters.



Bashful London.



Not so scary.



Madelyn in sunset.



Handsome Ryan.

London Girl

So a funny thing happened today: London developed psychic abilities. I thought it was a little odd when she was eating lunch and told me Maddie was awake some 30 seconds before anybody heard her crying. Then later, while sitting underneath the table, she tells her dad that mom's home, and they looked out the window and saw me pull in. We sort of chocked it up to that twin thing, but that second one, nothing to do with Maddie. Then we took one more look at her and it hit us--







Clearly the girl can't see a thing. Head banging meets growing out your bangs, I can't even remember what color her eyes are anymore. Any blind person will tell you that the inability to see naturally enhances your other senses, hence the well--precognition? I think that's what they call it in the Spider-Man comics. I may have to search through our volumes of comic books to know for sure. At any rate, who needs to see when you're leaping from one couch to another? (This also may explain London's two bloody lips in a row.)

101 Things

Here are 101 things you may have not known about Leslie. I have Lonna and Jillian to thank for extending this challenge, but learned some pretty amazing things about them. How would Jillian and I have ever known that we took gymnastics from the same place once upon a time? Anyway, I am now extending this same challenge to all of (can count you on one hand) my readers. I tell you once you get started it kind of takes off. So here goes.

1. I am the runt of my family.
2. My dad is a District Court Judge.
3. My dad is 10 years older than my mom. They met when he was in the Bishopric of her student ward.
4. When I was 17, I was obsessed with Justin Timberlake and learned all the *NSYNC dance moves with my cousins.
5. I am not a dog person anymore.
6. On my 19th birthday I accidentally lit my hair on fire blowing out my candles.
7. I started playing the violin at age 4.
8. I wish I had been more consistent with it.
9. I have learned a lot from Ryan's mission.
10. I really, really love my house to be clean.
11. I love thunderstorms, especially in the summertime.
12. I have always loved to read, even textbooks.
13. I'll never drive a mini-van OR a suburban.
14. My grandpa has a Master's degree in Traffic Safety.
15. My twins have their own language.
16. I am not big time into scrapbooking.
17. This does not make me popular in these parts.
18. When I was little, Diet Coke was used only for headaches. Now I use it for everything.
19. I am a sucker for a guy in dark-framed glasses.
20. My first thought about Ryan was, "he talks more than any person I have ever met in my entire life.''
21. It was still love at first sight.
22. I have kept all my love notes from Ryan for the last 5 years.
23. I have recently started a perfume collection.
24. I am probably the only fan of Mary-Kate and Ashley over 25.
25. I love fashion.
26. My sisters and I always buy the same clothes, sometimes on purpose, sometimes not.
27. I always seem to be growing out my hair.
28. I return more than half the clothes I buy.
29. I share at least 8 uncommon phobias with my sister Allison and call her every time I run into one of them.
30. I eat dessert after every meal.
31. I used to collect Babysitters Club books and had at least 60, including Super Specials.
32. I ran away from home a lot as a child. I wondered why my parents never freaked out.
33. As a teeny-bopper, I owned every flavor of Lipsmackers.
34. I never seem to get enough sleep.
35. I read self-help books to try to tackle my problems.
36. My favorite character on Sesame Street was always Kermit the Frog; however he is no longer on Sesame Street.
37. I have been skydiving once.
38. I am afraid of heights.
39. I have only one brother and he is serving a mission in Bulgaria.
40. I got my first pair of glasses at age two. They were more than 1/2 the size of my face.
41. Twins run in my family. My dad's twin brother, Lee passed away when they were in their 20's.
42. Ryan and I raced our ex-weiner dog in the Weinerschnitzel National Weinerdog race. He made it to the Semi-finals.
43. I gained 50 lbs in 28 weeks carrying my twins.
44. My grandma did not know my dad and Lee were going to be twins until after the first one was born.
45. I have been a fan of Dr. Phil since his days on Oprah.
46. I keep a notebook of his quotes.
47. I never get tired of the color pink.
48. I have a degree in Psychology and am surprised how much it has helped me as a mom.
49. Before having kids, I thought I was completely prepared for parenthood.
50. I should have written a book while I was ahead.
51. I still love being a mother of multiples.
52. I admit I have mixed up my twins.
53. My dad's twin brother used to set up dates for him.
54. I am suprised at how often Curious George really saves the day at our house.
55. I have all the songs from 'The Sound of Music' memorized and I frequently sing them to my kids.
56. I really think Baby Einstein should use real instruments and not a synthesizer.
57. I can't sight read music very well. At all.
58. I play mostly by ear.
59. I wish I had listened to my mom more. She was always right.
60. Teenagers scare me.
61. I used to have a crush on Leonardo DiCaprio and memorized his all lines from 'Romeo and Juliet.'
62. I still remember some of them (O heavy lightness, serious vanity/Misshapen chaos of well-seeming forms...Ay me, sad hours seem long).
63. In high school I drove a Jeep Wagoneer that I named "Spice" and hung a disco ball from the rearview mirror.
64. Ryan is very embarrassed by those last 3.
65. I once took four Benadryll at one time for my allergies in Mount Pleasant. I am not saying whose idea this was. :)
66. My allergies seem to be getting worse as Ryan's get better. Go figure.
67. I have always loved autumn more than any other season.
68. Ryan and I were called to be the ward missionaries for 3 years in a row in 2 different wards.
69. I met Ryan 1 month before I turned 21.
70. I married Ryan 4 months after I turned 21.
71. I still cut Ryan's hair, even though we are no longer starving students.
72. I am grateful his mom taught me how.
73. When my sister Jocelyn was 2, she cut over eight inches off her hair when I was supposed to be babysitting.
74. I never get tired of trying new cleaning products.
75. I can't stop buying shoes!
76. My favorite toenail polish is called "Sassy Strawberry."
77. My favorite perfume is called "A Touch of Pink"
78. I love to watch the show "What Not to Wear."
79. I am trying to get Ryan to nominate me to be on it.
80. My first year in college, here is my sequence of majors: English, Political Science, Music, Geology....that's all I can remember but I think there were more.
81. My dad once told me I don't have the personality for law school.
82. My mom is a speech pathologist and recently taught me how to do a lateral lisp!
83. When I was little, I couldn't say my "L's." I was "Yessie!".
84. Growing up I could see BYU from my house.
85. When I was little my dad cheered so hard for BYU football games our ceiling would shake.
86. I always thought this was totally normal.
87. I used to love going to BYU games with my dad, even though it was embarrassing.
88. I still became an Aggie.
89. Every 4th of July, my family used to race rubber ducks down the stream next to our house. Unfortunately, the city took out the stream, but we still race ducks down my parents' waterfall. Only they're not ducks anymore, they're ping pong balls.
90. Ryan and I have a strict rule against any food that's low fat, fat free or diet. The only exception is Coke.
91. I can't wait to start teaching my girls violin.
92. I have never successfully potty trained anything.
93. Potty training the twins is on my to-do list this summer.
94. So is opening a violin studio.
95. I used to work at Jamba Juice and still have all the recipes memorized.
96. Ryan gave me coupons for 4 free naps for my birthday. I haven't used them yet because I don't want them to be gone! However I do function better knowing the option is there.
97. I can't believe my baby sister is 17!
98. I feel lucky I always knew Ryan was the one.
99. I never feel quite old enough for my current stage of life.
100. If I had to do it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing!
101. There is no way I could have done this all in one sitting.

Nesting

It appears L & M have found the best seat in the house for a little quiet time: the laundry basket, stuffed with blankets and books.


Who says you can't get comfortable while squished together like sardines?


They spent at least an hour in here this morning, undisturbed. Maybe they will be book worms after all!

Ant Farm

Ah, the sun was out, the sprinklers were blasting, it was the perfect day to put on swimsuits and--


Watch ants in the scorching sun.
I'm not sure whose idea this was, but the other one jumped right on board!


Maddie made sure to have both pointer fingers ready so she could point out each ant to me.


Here we are having a conversation with our new little friends (both talking to them at the same time). It went something like this:
"Hi ant!" (Wave to ant)
"Where go? Where go?"
"Go home?"
"Okay bubye ant! See ya!"
Repeat, repeat repeat.
All of which was going pretty well until Londie decided it would be funny to start stepping on her new friends and smashing them, which turned into a hilarious new game. I worry they may become those kids who fry insects with magnifying glasses for fun.