Complete Panic...

So, this morning Bryan had clinicals and I was looking forward to spending time with B and B. I needed to do some laundry, so while B and B were playing with toys, I thought I would sneak downstairs for 2 seconds and nobody would realize I was gone (the door to the garage is in the kitchen and the stairs to the basement are in the garage). As I was downstairs, I could hear B and B doing a jig on the kitchen table. I came back upstairs and tried to open the door and it was locked! I realized at this moment that I have no cell phone or keys with me. I banged on the door hoping B or B would try to open the door, but they weren't about to get off the kitchen table. I ran around front and the front screen door was locked and I could see through the kitchen that the patio door was locked. At this time, Brynn sees me at the front door banging on it, and tumbles off the kitchen table. So, now she is on the floor crying while Brody is still dancing his jig on the kitchen table.....with SCISSORS in his hand! aaaahhhh! I ran around back and decided that I was going to have to bust out the kitchen window to get in if it was locked. Meanwhile, Brynn was now laying on the floor bawling at the front door because she couldn't get to me and Truman was pacing back and forth whining because he saw the shear panic in my face and knew something was wrong. I ran around the side of the house and got the huge plastic tub that has our neighbors Christmas tree in it that they gave to us yesterday. I stepped up on it and managed to get the screen off the kitchen window and it was unlocked! I frantically looked around to see what else I could stack on top of the tub to be able to reach the window to climb in. I decided our wet lawn chair would have to do. I climbed on top and pushed off the chair arm and was then half way hanging out the window and half way in over the kitchen sink. I was greeted by Truman with his paws up on the kitchen sink wandering what the hell I was doing. Somehow I managed to pull myself through without falling to the floor. Forunately, I got to Brody before he fell off the table or hurt himself with the scissors. Brynn was fine too after cuddles:) I can't even describe the amount of panic and fear I felt during this ordeal. I hope to never feel that way again. On a funny note, I wonder if any of my neighbors looked out and saw my arse hanging out the window:)

Sibling Love

Bryan and I have been really enjoying watching B and B interact with each other lately. We can now tell them to give each other a hug and most of the time they do. I even caught them giving each other a kiss the other day! What I wouldn't give to have caught that moment on film! The roles have kind of changed with them lately. Brynn has started to be more of a follower than a leader. When they are outside, Brody does really well with entertaining himself with pushing toys around and exploring, however what Brody is doing usually seems interesting to Brynn, so we have been having a few moments of "tug of war" over toys. For the most part though, they get along great and share well with each other. Brynn is now saying, "Bro", meaning Brody. She has also been saying "shoe" a lot too. Grandma Farnan bought her a couple pairs of shoes, Brynn approved of course, so she has been enjoying her new shoes. I have been careful not to leave the closet doors open or any clothes laying around, or she will put them on. Mom and I caught her "head banging" to a song in the car the other day. It was so funny to watch her move to the music:) Brody's new phrase is, "What'd you do?" He usually says it after HE does something. It is pretty funny to hear him say it. He also has this sinister giggle he does everytime we give him food that he thinks is a big treat, as if he has really got something. Even though I have heard this particular giggle probably a hundred times, it still makes me smile that he gets so exited over the littliest things. I can't believe they will be 18 months old soon. That doesn't even seem possible:(

Spring is Finally Here!

We have been enjoying the warmer weather! B and B want to be outside all the time. We have to be careful and make sure we lock the patio door when we are inside or they will go outside without us. Brody loves to push his toys all over the yard and really likes it when Bryan holds him up in the air to "dunk" the basketball. Bryan and I have been playing a lot of "pig" outside and he definitely wants to play basketball with us. Brynn loves to swing on the swingset and watch all the neighbor dogs. She really loves animals and we're looking forward to taking her to Deanna Rose and to the zoo this summer. We went to the doggy park today and Brynn kept following all the dogs around trying to pet them. Of course, Brody ran the entire time we were there. Man, he can really get going fast!

Happy Easter!

We hope everyone had a great Easter! We spent the day with Grandma Farnan, Fred, and John. We went to church at St. Mark's and then out to lunch at The Olive Garden. B and B were excited to get their Easter baskets from Grandma Farnan when we got home. Thank you Grandma! I finally got Brynn out of her Easter dress a few hours ago. I changed her clothes when we got home and she decided she still wanted to wear her dress, so she wore it on top of her other clothes! I'm having to "okay" with her everything I put on her lately or she will keep taking it off until she gets to wear what she wants:) Brody is the exact opposite. He doesn't care what he wears, but you only get one chance to get him dressed:) They have both really been feeling good this past week and have been "on the go" all the time. I have been chasing them down a lot! Their appetite has really increased lately too, especially at bedtime, so we are starting a bedtime snack routine. We have a busy week ahead with Bryan starting clinicals. Good luck Daddy!

A Rough Week...

We have all been sick this past week with an upper respiratory virus. Brody started not feeling well on Monday. He had a fever, bad cough, choking on phelgm, wheezing, retracting, and wouldn't eat. On Tuesday, our pediatrician called him in a script for Pulmicort. On Wednesday, he still wasn't any better, so I took him to the clinic. They told me it was just a virus. This weekend, he is finally starting to act like himself and playing with his toys again. We are still giving him his Pulmicort breathing treatments twice a day. Now, Brynn has a bad cough and runny nose. However, she is not nearly as bad as Brody was. She seems to be able to fight things off better than Brody. Brody seems to get viruses on top of viruses and he never seems to get fully recovered:( We are all a little stir crazy from being stuck inside all week. B and B have been getting into everything. Grandma Farnan brought Brynn down my old cabbage patch kids and another one of my dolls, so she has been busy playing with those. Her new thing now is taking off her pants. I have fought the sock battle since they were born and I am done redressing them a hundred times a day, so I have been letting her run around with just her shirt on. She is also starting to throw tantrums now when she doesn't get her way/like something. She starts stomping her feet and throws herself on the floor. She is already starting to give me excuses when she gets in trouble. Several times this weekend when I have scolded her, she says, "I didn't (something)". She is getting really smart, actually they both are getting too smart for their own good sometimes. Brody has been pretty much been a Momma's boy this week and doesn't want anyone but Mommy. Bryan and I usually don't have to guess what he's doing because he usually rats himself out. If he is in another room and is doing something he shouldn't be doing, we will hear him say, "No, no." He has the same will power Truman has. He knows he isn't supposed to do something, but can't help himself from doing it:) Bryan and I have noticed B and B trying to console each other a lot lately. Brynn usually tries to say or do something to make Brody feel better when he is upset about something. She usually does a pretty good job of consoling him. I would love to know what they say to each other because apparently it is quite hilarious judging by the giggles:) Today, Brynn fell down and Brody tried to pick her back up. It is quite cute to see how "chummy" they are becoming:)

B and B's First Easter Egg Hunt

Yesterday, we took B and B to their first Easter egg hunt. We met Valerie, Denise, RJ, and Mary Jane at Cerner for an Easter celebration. They had all kinds of activities for kids to do, but unfortunately most of the activities were too old for B and B. They spotted balloons as soon as we got there and all they wanted to do was play with the balloons. Finally, Bryan and I ended up untieing some balloons and tieing them around their waist hoping to get them interested in walking around to do some other activities. Brynn did really well with the Easter egg hunt. Brody spotted some basketballs as soon as the egg hunt started and bolted across the gym for those instead of participating in the hunt. Our kids are so obsessed with balls and balloons right now! They finally warmed up a little to the Easter Bunny as we were getting ready to leave. Unfortunately, I forgot the chip to our camera, so we couldn't take any pictures. We did manage to get some of it on video though. Valerie did take a few pictures, so hopefully I can post those as soon as I get them. We took B and B outside to play in the snow a couple times today. I was impressed at how well they walked in the snow since it was above their knees. We are really hoping that this is the last of the snow until next winter!

The New Madden Ranch

Well, we are all settled in in our new rental house in Independence. It is a cute little 3 bedroom house built in the 1940s. We mostly unpacked the stuff that we needed and have put a lot of our stuff in the basement. I am really enjoying my shorter commute to work and exploring the new area. B and B are adjusting well to the change. Brody was sick last week and now is on Albuterol nebs as needed for wheezing. He finally has gotten his 7th tooth! His gums are so swollen and I have noticed him putting his fingers in his mouth, so I am expecting many more teeth to come in soon. He is really starting to talk more and continues to be his "easy going" self. Brynn seems to be cutting more teeth as well, eventhough she just got all 4 of her molars. She has become quite sensitive/moody and seems to get her feelings hurt easily. Grandma Farnan seems to think that is the "girl" about her. She really enjoys helping us do things, so I have been giving her tasks to do and she does pretty well. I think it is so cute to watch her "clean" things with a rag:) We are hoping for some nice weather this week so we can get outside and play!