Where has Decemeber gone?!

Ahhh, this month has flown by! I'm so far behind on my posts, it's driving me crazy! December was a busy month for the Povah kiddos. We had some friends over to decorate cookies the first weekend of December. The kids had a blast frosting the cookies then playing in the basement with the kids.

We also went and visited Santa..which was NOT a hit. Aiden freaked out as soon as we went to put him on his lap, which led the twins to cry as well. We're not fans of making the kids sit on his lap when they're screaming bloody murder, so another year without a photo of Santa and the Povah trio. Maybe next year :) They did ride on the train at the mall, which they loved, so that made up for our trip to see the jolly, old man.

We also got to see Nana and Papa Jim for a little while this month. They came up to Boone to see Taylor in the Nutcracker and spend time with David and Katy's new baby. We went up to Chris and Melissa's and the kids played over there then a few days later Jim and Nikki came down to our house. It was nice to see them and the kids are starting to remember who they are when they come up to visit.

We had a crazy, fun Christmas (which I will save for a post for tomorrow, because I'm way too exhausted to do it tonight)! Here's some of the latest pictures of the kids...

spanky loves to be naked!

...and again

who's missing?

decorating a gingerbread house with mommy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

We had a great Thanksgiving spent with family and friends. We started out the day at Gwen's brother, Sam's house. The kids had a great time playing with their golden retriever and running around their yard. The weather was AMAZING and we had a great time playing outside. After naptime, we went to GG's house for another meal. Food was great and we stayed until 6 p.m. and the kids were wiped! Friday was a fun day...Aubs and I got to see Disney on Ice with Amy and Berkley. She had a great time watching all the characters skate around. The boys all went bowling and Adam said they had the most fun running all over the place, rather than trying to bowl, but in a few years they will love to go bowling.  The kids spent the night at Mimi and Papa Mark's house on Saturday night, so we could do dinner and drinks with some friends (thank you!). Overall, it was a great weekend, just busy as always.

mama and princess aubs before disney on ice

the girls!

"i want an owl headband too.." -owen

practicing our downward dog!

We started our "Elf on a Shelf" this year. His name is Diddle and the kids love him. There was even a TV special on it, so I taped Owen's response when the elf falls to the ground and loses his magic. It's priceless!



Off to see Santa tonight...we'll see how that goes :)

Fall Photos...

So, this is a quick entry, but I wanted to get the kids' Fall photos up before I forget to do it. Amy took their pictures a couple of weeks ago and they turned out fabulous (granted I'm biased, but she does AMAZING work). Owen and Aubrey are 2 1/2 and Aiden is 18 months...can't believe how fast time has flown by. Owen was all about getting his picture taken and Aubrey and Aiden were a little indifferent to the whole ordeal.

Ahh, they love each other :)

More to come soon!

New Beds

After dealing with two toddlers that slept on the floor rather than their toddler beds for 4 months, we decided to purchase two twin beds in hope they would choose a cozy, warm bed, rather than the cold, hard floor....the verdict...YES!!! Thank goodness! I found super cute jack and Jill bedding at Pottery Barn on a killer sale and we got the beds at Homemakers. The headboards were bright red metal (not gonna do), so I spray painted one pink and the other brown...actually turned out pretty cute! The twins love them and now we struggle with a certain 18 month old who thinks he too needs a bed, not a crib anymore.

Now, we need to work on getting rid of pacifiers...ugh, really not looking forward to that fight. I have three kiddos that love those stupid pacis, so it really might be a brawl in our house for a few days.

On other news, Aiden had his 18 month check-up two weeks ago an he has dropped down into the 40th percentile for weight...following Owen's footsteps. He doesn't look skinny, but he has leaned out and is started to look more toddler-like and less baby-like :( He is easily saying many 2 word sentences and has started throwing some mad temper tantrums. Boo!

Owen has really been enjoying the terrible two's lately. He's gotten a little wild and resistant to authority. Last week at Fareway he climbed the beer wall and stood on top, yelling that he was stuck. My friend Amy and her two kids were with me and even she was embarrassed. Wasn't my finest parenting moment. On a good note, his vocabulary has soared the past couple of months and has turned into quite the talker. When he's one on one with us, he is the most fun loving little boy, we just need to work on the rest of the time :)

Miss Aubrey is starting to get excited because she gets to go to Disney on Ice with Amy, Berkley and I next Friday. Zach won tickets to it and they were so nice to offer two tickets to us. The boys are going to go bowling and have some guy time, while Amy and I take the princesses to an afternoon of fun! Owen is obsessed with chasing after Jackson, so he will have a blast bowling and running around.

Heading off to Monkey Joe's to bounce around this afternoon. Should be a good time and they kids are pumped. Next week is crazy busy with Thanksgiving, Disney on Ice and I'm going to the newest Twilight movie with some friends...woo hoo! We will probably hit up Santa at Valley West Mall next weekend, so I'm anxious to see how that turns out.

Cheese!

This is what happens with your twin is a girl.

I LOVE cake pops!

Some New Funnies from Miss Aubrey

Aubrey is a talker...weird, I don't know where she gets it :) Here's some of the funny things she's come up with lately...


1. "I just peed in the tub!"
2. When asked about giving up her pacifier.."Paci can just take a nap in my mouth."
3. "I'm pooping a lot today."
4. "Owen, you're driving me crazy!"
5. "Find a new home, Lola."
6. "Aiden, damn it." (Thanks Adam for saying this in front of Aubs in response to Aiden dumping his plate on the floor).
7. "I peed, I peed, I peed my pants mama."
8. "Papa shoot reindeer in his house." (Papa Bill has some deer heads on display in his basement...enough said).
9. "I look so cute! I'm adorable!"
10. "Grow up boys!" (Owen and Aiden were pushing her nerves that day).

She's one funny cat!

We got the pukes....ugh

We had our first experience with double puking in the house a few weeks ago. Both Aubrey and Owen were crazy sick and threw up every 20 minutes. To say it was awful, would be a massive understatement. I felt so bad for them. Somehow Aiden managed to steer clear of the stomach bug, so that was the only good thing that came out of the weekend. Aiden also had a trip to the ENT for some drainage issues with his tubes. Looks like he is having a reaction to his tubes and they suggested taking them out and putting new ones in...ugh :( He has his 18 month check-up with Dr. Secory this week, so I want him to look at them before taking the plunge and scheduling another surgery. He is still happy as can be, so that's a plus! Below is a picture of the pukefest night. We camped out in the living room with our trusty pink bowl nearby :)

We've been gearing up for Halloween at our house. Carving pumpkins, making pumpkin cookies and decorations has been the theme around here. We also went to Living History Farms for trick or treating last weekend with Mimi, Papa Mark and the Slick family. They had a great time putting candy in their bags and visiting all the stations. Since that visit, we've heard, "I want to take my bag and get candy at the farm today," a lot. We have a Halloween party this weekend and Sunday night trick-or-treat night in Waukee. Adam leaves for training tomorrow for a week, so he has to miss Halloween, which is a bummer. Here are some pictures from last weekend.

Three kids, three bowls of popcorn and "The Lion King"

I like to watch movies!

Yep, I love my kitchen!

My new owl hat from San Francisco.

Ta da! We carved pumpkins!

Poor Aubrey...attack of the Aiden monster!

I will post again after surviving another week of single parenthood! Let's hope the kids don't kill me :)

san francisco photos...

Here are a few from our trip...better late than never!