Little buddies

2 posts in 1 day!

Kiddos love when their friend Abigail comes over! Jacob and Abigail chase each other around the house, and Claire joins in the fun when she feels like it (she likes having some time when Jacob is occupied!).

Abigail is good for Jacob - if you go back into the history, you'll see a picture just like this of Jacob hopping into Claire's lap!
This is at the pumpkin patch - Claire wanted nothing to do with being in a tight space with those two!

We watched Abigail recently, and they took a bath together. It was crazy!
Click on the picture to get a bigger image of the water flying!

Pumpkin Patch

A few weeks ago, the ward's playgroup was at a pumpkin patch. Claire and Jacob had a great time in the pumpkins.
Jacob liked the bridge (in the background). He spent most of the time going up one side, down the other.
Dani's favorite time was when they were preoccupied in the pumpkins - when they weren't running in opposite directions!
The place was very cool, there were all sorts of creations: a pirate ship, Alladin's castle, Fred Flintstone's car, a train, Winnie the Pooh's forest, and other stuff. It was a very cool place.

Dani needed a nap after chasing them around, but she said it was a lot of fun.

Some funny pictures

Does this remind anyone of those little factory workers in Shrek 2?

Jacob loves to talk on my new phone. I'll occasionally call it, and Jacob will walk around talking and talking.
I love this picture from the JDRF walk
Cousins Clayton, Lydia, and friend Ellie at the JDRF walk. I believe this is the only picture we got where all 5 are visible (because Jacob kept wanting to run off)
Check out these other walkers! They saw the security post, and had to get a picture next to it. Those costumes are seriously amazing!

Mess-makers, Mess-makers, make me a mess!

As those of you who have lived with or are living with toddlers in the house, it's a constant battle to keep up with the mess. Each child seems to have his or her own unique talent. I'll share some of my kids' talents.

A while ago, Claire earned the nickname of 'Destructor.' Now we have pictures to show why! It didn't take her an hour to discover the Halloween decorations on the entry table. Despite Dani's best efforts to keep them out of the reach of two little toddlers, Claire was able to pull half of them down! Siblings, do you recognize the painted gourds that mom used to put up?

Sometimes, they tag-team it, and Jacob loves it, as you can tell! If the tissue box is within reach, they'll bring it down to the floor and take turns pulling 1 tissue out at a time. After the box is empty, they'll take a tissue and rip it into little pieces. Dani says that stuffing tissues back into the tissue box is one of her least favorite things she does as a mother. It only took 3 emptyings to convince her to keep the tissues on the kitchen counter instead of the end table.
Little Destructor loves to read the Yellow Pages and the other various magazine-like advertisements we give her. She tears out the pages she wants to save - she'll be a good coupon-cutter in a few years!
She doesn't just make a mess of the house, she somehow ends up with messy hair by the end of every day. The small picture doesn't quite do justice to just how out-of-control her hair was because of the static on the couch, be sure to click on the picture for a better view!

Another favorite activity for both Claire and Jacob is to sit in the toy bins, but since Dani and I (for some reason) clean up the toys every night, kiddos need to empty the bins before they can sit in them. Out of the 12 bins that begin the day on the shelves, typically less than half are still there at the end of the day!

Dance Party!

Since the last video was a hit, here's another one! Our friend Sarah Brown and her daughter Abigail came over one day and everyone wanted to dance (even Sarah!). Check out Jacob's step-squat move, the kid can move it!

Always in motion

For those of you who haven't seen Claire and Jacob in action, or haven't seen them recently, or just need a laugh today, here they are! Enjoy!

To set the scene, I decided it was time for my kids to start pulling their weight around the house, so I decided they would help me set the table. The placemats were successfully placed on the table, but when it was time to put the spoons on, there was no way we were going to pry them from their fingers. It turned into a party - a loud one!

"Bye" and "No no no"

A few short stories (pictures will be included on the next post):

Jacob and Claire's favorite words! The other day, Andrew and my dad came over for a short visit. As they left, Jacob started yelling, "Bye!" and waving. He then ran over to the window, which was open, and continued yelling, "Bye!" as they got in the car, backed down the driveway (very slowly), and drove away. Andrew had his window down saying, "bye," which made Jacob even louder. He probably continued a full minute after they left! It was very cute.

Today, during his doctor appointment, Jacob kept hugging the nurse's legs. He'd give her a hug, run around, then repeat (4 times!). What a sweetie!

Claire has become very adament when she doesn't think something is doing what is should be doing. If Jacob has a toy Claire wants, she says, "no, no, no" while waving her finger. If she doesn't want some sort of food, if she doesn't think we're changing her diaper fast enough, if she's not ready to be put down, she says, "no, no, no." She's becoming very opinionated!

Next week will be their first in nursery! That has numerous women in the ward telling Dani that they'll be praying for the nursery leaders. I've been told by speakers and the bishopric that watching our family makes them tired! They're getting a lot better in Sacrament meeting, but the second and third hours are quite a challenge. I continue to be grateful I have both kids so at least one of mine isn't the loudest in the ward!

Bedtime Routine

Bedtime is a fun time in the Jensen house. Around 7:30, the kiddos typically start falling apart and we know it's bedtime. We open the gate to the stairs and announce it's bathtime, and Jacob and Claire go running. At the bottom of the stairs, or sometimes on the way up the stairs, I'll get them into their diapers (I love how chubby they are in just a diaper!).

Baths are what you'd expect from 1 year-and-a-half olds. They enjoy drinking the bathwater, splashing, and standing in the tub. Pretty normal.

We get them dressed in the hall. We like to have Jacob get dressed first because he runs into the room, grabs Claire's cup of milk, and runs out to give it to her. We all sit on the floor in the room and read a book or two while drinking some milk.

After prayers, it's kissy time. Jacob has to have one from Claire. Then one from mom and dad, and another from Claire. Claire occasionally grants a kiss, depending on if she's feeling like it. She says, "Bear, Raaaaah!" a few times as we lay her down on her tummy with her blanket in hand and bear next to her. We lay Jacob on his back, and he's up and standing before we can put a blanket on him.

For the next hour, they typically talk to each other, and that's probably the funniest part of the whole process!

Now you're ready to babysit! Any volunteers?

Birthday Vacation (kid-free post!)

No, you didn't miss either of our birthdays. For my birthday in May, Dani gave me tickets to an A's-Indians game in September. After months of waiting (and very actual trip planning!), we dropped Claire and Jacob off at my parents', and went for a weekend of fun (and peace).

First stop was Jeffersonville, at the outlet malls. After spending some time finding some deals (including 75% off at Old Navy, where I got 4 t-shirts and Dani got a hat all for $10), we went to the Amish Country, northeast of Columbus. We visited a cheese factory (Heini's Cheese) and tried a whole bunch of cheese. We took a walk around Berlin Ohio and enjoyed a change of pace, then ate dinner at an Amish-style restaurant, and stayed at Hotel Millersburg, built in 1847. I'm sure James Polk slept in the same bed we had - it was not all that comfortable!

On the way out of Amish Country, we happened upon a couple really cool sites. I first commandeered this rig along the highway. Pretty sweet, huh?

And we stopped by Tom Dick & Harry Alley. We unfortunately did not meet Tom, Dick, or Harry.

We then went mountainbiking in Mohican State Park. It was a great ride through the trees and the hills. I took a good spill onto a log and Dani didn't like the first uphill mile, but it really was a good ride. I miss mountain biking!

We then drove to Cleveland, changed, and went to Jacobs Field. We arrived in time for batting practice. We congregated with a handful of A's faithful to watch practice and get autographs (for which I was observer - I just don't get the obsession!).

There was a big crowd in anticipation of Cleveland clinching the AL Central, but I got to see an A's win. It was a lot of fun, I hope the A's play the Reds in the world series next year so I can see another game next year (I know, keep dreaming).

(The Hat Dani's wearing, $2.25 at Old Navy - Nice, huh?)

We stayed at a Hyatt in downtown Cleveland. It's a very cool hotel. Here's a picture:

We had a great time! I'm not sure what the best part was, the cheese, the mountain biking, the baseball, or the 2 straight nights without kiddos!

1st Haircut

Dani's friend Billie came to visit for a weekend, and since she cuts hair, Billie gave our kids a haircut. They needed it! Claire's hair was always in her face, and Jacob looked like he had a comb-over because of how long his hair was.
To get them to hold still, Dani put in a movie... that helped a little.
Don't they look cute? Claire's hair looks especially cute when you can see the back of it because it curls a little (especially after naps).
And Jacob looks like a like a little man now!

Classic snapshots!

Claire and Jacob play together well. They also have a way of bugging one another. You might be able to guess which was happening in the picture below. Dani heard Claire's howls and, instead of running to the rescue, she ran to the camera and captured the moment.
Jacob is quite the reader now. He loves pointing at the animals, cars, balls, and babies. If we're sitting on the floor, Jacob will find a book, throw it at us, and will plop himself down on our lap. And as soon as he's done with one book, he'll reach for another.
Eating has become an adventure - a messy one! And I'm not sure it's getting much better
Claire loves her bear! When we give it to her at night, she gives it a kiss. It is really cute!
Claire loves playing with straps. A few weeks ago, we were watching our friends' 4 year old and 18-month old boys, and the house basically turned into a racetrack for everyone but Claire. Claire sat in her chair and played with the straps in the booster for a long time!

Camping

We went camping a few weeks ago at Hocking Hills (near Columbus) and had a memorable experience. Claire and Jacob loved being outside; they especially loved trying to get to the campfire, and wandering down the little road near our campsite (which, fortunately, was pretty far from any other campsites). Claire loved sitting on Taylor and Andrew's tent and playing with sticks and rocks. It seems whenever we go to a place with sticks, Claire finds a couple to carry around with her.

I'll admit we weren't exactly roughing it - we brought 2 portable cribs for our tent and a booster seat for meals. But, we did sleep outside... for some of the night. Some time in the middle of the night, a dirt bike went for a spin close to our campsite, waking both of our children up and scaring them badly enough that they would not go back to their cribs. Claire sat with Dani for a long time and Jacob slept on me long enough to leave a pool of drool from my belly button to the top of my shoulder (yuck - if that's not roughing it, I don't know what is!). Dani ended up in the van with 2 little kids strapped in their seats watching Baby Einstein for a couple of hours!

The next day was a lot better and we took a couple short hikes. The first was to 'Cedar Falls' which had no running water. "Boring," said Andrew, so we went to Old Fart's Cave (much more exciting, in just the name!). It was pretty cool - I could have sworn they were running a day care there with all the unattended little kids running around! It may be a little while before we try camping again!

A good question

Yesterday at Babies 'R' Us, a mother of twin 5-month olds asked, "Does it get any easier as they get older?" It is a question that we are asked often.

Eating
Meal-times are less frequent, fortunately. They are typically very messy now and very loud as Jacob, with mouth full, yells for more food. They take turns being picky eaters. They can often eat what we are eating, which makes meals easier to prepare, plus we no longer have to worry about milk allergies!

Playing
They can entertain themselves for longer stretches now, although with mobility comes the capability to take toys and hit. The tantrums are full-body tantrums and can be heard from the mailbox, but are getting to be more predictable, so we can try to head them off. It works occasionally, but there are many that are unavoidable!

Sleeping
For us, sleeping was the big problem until they were 8-9 months old. Now, we put them to bed at 8:00, they talk to each other, laugh, squeal, bang on walls, jump in their cribs, and play with their bears until 9-9:30, which is great because it means that they sleep until 8. They are also very good nappers, and need the 2 naps they get.

I think that overall, it may a little easier raising twin toddlers than twin infants (at least right now!), but it is definitely more fun and entertaining, and I feel like it is more rewarding as they are learning to communicate. Jacob and Claire have very different personalities, and it's been fun to see them develop. We certainly have a good time at the Jensen household!

Raise your hand if you think Claire looks like her Nana

Grandma Vicki thinks Claire looks just like her Nana. There are certain pictures where Vicki is especially certain. Check out the comparison below.





Nana (a little blurry - sorry!)


Claire (notice a common theme of the pictures Vicki has commented look like Nan? And if you need proof, go look at the comments in the blog and you'll see!)





(From August '07)

(from August '07)
(From May '07)

(January '07)

You be the judge, and tell me if you raised your hand

Who's the Boss?

Since the blog has been pretty much pictures recently, I'll include a few funny things that Jacob and Claire do.

We love having little ones who are understanding us. When we tell them to go to the car or that we're going outside, they'll sprint for the back door and wait for us. It's getting to the point that Dani and I have to be pretty much ready, because Jacob and Claire don't exactly enjoy waiting at the door for us. They also love getting their shoes on because they know we're going outside!
Claire and Jacob are really starting to figure out how to ask for help. The toy in the picture below makes noise and lights up when turned on. When turned off, Jacob and Claire will come over to us, holding the toy out, knowing that by doing that we'll turn it on.
Last night, we were celebrating our friends Ellie Lesan's first birthday (where Rob learned that even after a candle is blown out, the wick is still hot!). There's a stair down from their eating area to the family room, and neither Jacob nor Claire wanted to go backward down the stair, so they waited with an outstreached hand, and tried to get someone's attention to help.

A week or so ago, Jacob had taken Claire's toy, and after a few seconds of complaining, Claire appeared in the kitchen, grabbed Dani's finger, pulled her into the play room, and stopped where Jacob was playing with the stolen toy, as if to say, "See what Jacob did!" We consider it the first instance of tattling - I'm sure there are many more to come!

Claire, by the way, has taken the role of boss upon herself. She likes to talk with her finger pointed at the listner as if giving them instructions. The red hair/first child/female instincts are taking over!

Getting Big!

We're on to the next phase - and it's going to be messy! Jacob was actually able to get some applesauce and beans onto his spoon. Look right under his chin, and those are some that didn't make it!
Claire had a blast and would not allow us to help her. We had to get a separate spoon to feed her with
Big man in some big shoes!
One of their new favorite things to do is to turn around in the car and honk the horn with their bum. They think it's hilarious - as do we!
In other news, congratulations to my car which surpassed 200,000 miles!