Ok! Mucho apologies for taking so long on this entry! I got the pictures on here last week and then it just took me forever to write anything...and yes, believe me, I know alot happens in a week(let alone a few weeks) of babies' life. Let me just say that Abe is standing like a champ now. He can pretty much keep his balance even when big brother comes over and noses around in his business. I always think the next stage (rolling over, sitting up, crawling, walking, etc...you get the point!) will look so wierd, but it never really does! It looks really natural and it seems like they've always been doing it. Just like now, it is hard to remember when Trey didn't talk. We have this video of him saying mumble jumble a little over a year ago and it fascinates me!
The lectures crew is comin in this weekend (hooray for all of you who are making the long trek! we can't wait!). It should be really fun having the house as packed as humanly possible. I know the bebes will love it, too. Now they won't have to only see their ol boring mama!
These pictures are from a week an a half ago. We were playing outside in the beautiful saturday weather(I hope it's this nice while everyone is here!). If you will, notice the sheer exhiliration on Trey's face (it's blurry, but I think might actually be drool coming out!) while Mike is tossing him to and fro (which he wasn't interested in until he saw Abe enjoying it...ah the sibling struggle!). Also, you can just feel how much concentration Abe is using examining these flowers. He was so excited to crawl around in the grass!
The other pictures on here are of our(Michael, Sarah, Mike and me) trip to Medival Times. We decided to do this instead of traditional christmas presents this year. We had a rootin, hootin, hollerin, ye olde tyme bash! It is really an absurd place with way to much merchandise to hock, but it's definitely a fun subculture to wonder at. I mean, these actors were way into it! Our knight(go blue!) threw the carnation and Sarah caught it...MiLady Sarah! It was really hilarious. Also of note is Michael's rapt attention to the gruesome scene in front of this classic "stone" wall(it's all in the details...heehee) and my fortune to be sharing the air with a honest-to-goodness knight(he wasn't much of a conversationalist though!)!

Well, gotta go get some pre-guest cleaing done before the boys arise with sunny eyes. See you all soon!

Now, I'm not a doctor, but I feel I'm living proof that 2 colds can begin in each nostril and marry each other, thus producing a cold that defies previously held expectations. If you are shaking your head, wondering, "how can this be? surely not!!", I'm here to disprove you. All you have to do is look around my house at the discarded tissue boxes and medicine containers to see the battle that's been raging for a week now. Not only has it enlisted my nostrils, but the sweet nostrils of my boys. The sweet peaceful sounds of play are now relpaced by the occasional body-rattling boom of coughing. Mine is starting to subside a bit, but the boys are in the trenches. Poor Poor soldiers. They need their mama more than ever, now.
Mike has started his classes once again. This week has been a really full week for him with his two classes and soccer tryouts at school. We've barely had a chance to see him at all. Thank heavens for Martin Luther King Jr. day on monday! Now our common 2 day weekend has been turned into a 3 day Mikefest(and boy did I need it...the boys too...they are probably sick of just seeing their ol mama comin at em with a tissue! "no! not again! my nose is already raw!")

Trey is really starting to say sentences now. It's funny how they parrot you without really knowing what the syllables are, yet. He will say, "I want orange" or "I want get down". Come to think of it, that is how most of his sentences begin lately("I want"). I suppose that means I will have to start pushing the "please" since it does sound a little pushy...not that he is, he just sounds like it to an outsider.
Abe is super mobile now and bugging Trey to death. It's so funny. I finally understand how Michael(my younger brother) never meant to annoy me when we were little. I used to get so frustrated when he wanted to do whatever I was doing. Likewise, Abe is so curious about everything(especially if Trey is doing it) and is constantly snatching things out of Trey's hands(to which Trey will take it back with a swift "NOT").
Now, you may be wondering why I put the core of a pear as a picture on here, but you would be mistaken. It is not a mere pear core. It is also the ever-famous, ever-knowledgable, ever-helpful "MAP" from the dora show....or at least, so says Trey. It was sitting on the plate the other day and I, the unnoticing adult that I am, was going to discard it. Of course, Trey knew what it was and pointed out to me...so then we had to sing the song.."i'm the map, i'm the map, i'm the map" and so on and so forth (thus cementing me as a complete looney mother).
Well, I hear both the boys awake upstairs now. They have finally adjusted back to our Eastern time zone(much to my dismay). Trey is singing something and Abe has just had enough of his bed. Off for now!

What is it about a car trip that makes you think about all the things you want to change when you get home? Maybe it's the constant attention you are forced to give your body in the car. This constant attention makes you so sick at yourself and the unhindered binge during the holiday season that you resolve(for the zillionth time) that you will crank it up and get serious about your health as soon as you turn into the driveway. As if this mental torture weren't enough, you start thinking, I need to get less annoyed at things and be a more patient person(of course the moment you start thinking this, one of the kids lets out a miserable 10 minute whine from the back seat until you can't stand it and have to pull over at any available sanctuary). I think I'm in good company, right? From the new displays of self-help books at Barnes and Noble and the sudden resurgence of people joining the gym, I gather I'm not the only one feeling like shedding my old skin. Anyway, from these pictures, you can see that the holidays were mostly good despite all of my blog kvetching. Sometimes, it just feels good to have a keyboard catharsis.
The kids had a really great time when they weren't in the car. It was great to be around family where they were the stars of the show and we just got to sit back and enjoy. Trey, of course, misses everyone now and occasionally will ask where one of his beloved family members are(immediately answering his own questions, "grea-tt mammaw houw"? "Ni-Ni houw?") They definitely got everything that they wanted(and didn't even know that they wanted) You can see on here that one of the favorites was the trumpet(courtesy of my cornbread). I put the picture on here of him holding it the opposite way(I guess that's why the recommended age is 3). Another thing that grandma and dad-dad(his version of granddad) got him was the tricycle(bikickle). I think I heard more about bicycles in the past month than Lance Armstrong. It's amazing how everything relates back to a coveted object for a toddler. The two most common words this season were Snowmen(nomen) and Bicycle and luckily, he got both. Another great gift was this indoor spiderman tent from Aunt Suze and Great Grandma. Both he and Abe loved that thing. There is just something about a fort that kids love. I know I was the same way. There is a pic on here of them and their straight up static hair. I know I've written alot about Trey and his Christmas, but I guess it's just that he's more verbal about it. Abe of course started doing a lot more this trip(this always happens for him with change of scenery). He's way more mobile now and will whip himself up into a sitting position without batting an eye. He's also started really mimicking(especially when people laugh...he can really parrot your guffawing).
Oh yeah, and Mike and I had a good time, too. After we had our family christmas memories(see picture of the whole Tolbert gang) , we got to have our fun trip to downtown Chicago for a night while the babies stayed with the g-parents. I have been doing my own sorry version of Wicked(a really great musical about the wicked witch of the west's background before Dorothy) since we saw it. It's sad that the voice in your head doesn't match what's coming out of your mouth, but it's just my family. I don't care if they have to endure it. I can't resist recreating it for them!



Alright, the time has come to wrap this installment up. Off to enjoy our last day of holiday vacation before regular routine starts in tomorrow(and all of my resolutions and plans unfold...really...seriously...I mean it! Here's hoping, anyhow).