Tales From The Crib

Yes, purple looks good on everybody. Even in Lawrence.

2012-02-05T17:28:00.010-06:00

Little Jordie. She's four months old and is a K-State Fan.

My twins were taught early on something I learned in my years in 4-H.

Purple looks good on everyone.

At least, that is what Mary Lou Odle, a Saline County Extension agent always said. She'd come to our 4-H clothing meetings on occasion and do a color test to see what season looked best on you. I think I was a fall. Purple, however, fell in every season.

My friend, Sarah Green, a KU graduate, calls it Kansas State propaganda. I say an Extension agent would never lie.

My husband agrees with Sarah. He's a KU fan. Fortunately, I've been able to pull the twins onto "my team" as they call it. Jayhawks are yucky, they say. John even caught Brett watching KU vs Oklahoma women one night on television. She was rooting for OU.

He told her there are some things you just don't do, even as a Wildcat fan. One. You never cheer for Missouri. Two. You never cheer for Oklahoma.

She wouldn't listen.

Sarah, however, is proof that there is compromise in the world. She knitted each of the girls "cat hats." Jordie received her hat last month.

I can't tell you how to knit it. I'm not very crafty. All I know is that her hats are adorable. And I bet she could make a mint if she'd open a knitting store in Manhattan and sell cat hats.

Kaci, Brett and Jordie. They are on my team.

Life continues - quickly

2012-02-05T16:40:00.007-06:00

Life is busy.

So busy, in fact, I haven't had time to keep my blog as up-to-date as I'd like. There's also a pile of laundry in my laundry room that needs folded, and I haven't mailed all my Christmas cards out and it is February.

However, life continues. And the latest to the crib, Jordie, is growing.

So, I'll update as much as I can from time to time. More often than not, is the plan. Here's is life over the past five months.

Jordie's room.

Jordie, not long after she was born

The girls' Christmas present included scootersYes, Brett is a "farmer" today.

Ready for the 2012 Kansas State Fair. Plug for the fair. You can find these at the T-Shirt stand! Thanks Lori!

That's right. Jordie is ready for the 100th Kansas State Fair this September.

Jordie bathtime

The girls pick out pumpkins at their preschool trip to the pumpkin patch

The girls' Halloween costumes. Mary, Joseph. And Jordie was baby Jesus. Yes, they won the Gypsum Fall Fest Costume Contest for the third year in a row.

Happy Jordie

Oh Christmas Tree ... We found you.

2009-01-06T21:54:00.004-06:00

I like to call this story of the quest for the perfect tree.

Not a brown tree. Or a tree trunk.

Not a Charlie Brown tree. Or a hall tree

A big, pump, green tree is what we were after.

It was a dark and snowy night.

Ok, not really, but it was a cool, crisp day. And there was a perfect tree to be found amid a small clump of pines at Hullets Christmas Tree Farm near Hutchinson.

So we went traipsing. We ran. And we managed to secure a tree that would be deemed perfect by just about anyone, including Charlie Brown.

By nightfall, that tree had lights. It had ornaments. It had class. It was a Bickel-perfect Christmas tree. And the girls were happy.

But it's three weeks later. Christmas music is off the radio. The tree droops in the living room. And I am sad.

I still have Charlie Brown Christmas on DVD.

A successful deer season

2009-01-01T09:25:00.004-06:00

Another year of successful deer hunting. I bagged an 8-pointer. John got a buck and a doe, and now we are in the middle of processing nearly 200 pounds of deer meat! The girls love it. So far, meals have included deer steak, deer breakfast sausage and deer brats!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

2008-10-31T16:45:00.001-05:00

So they lost their first competitive competition

2008-10-31T15:40:00.004-05:00

Little Brett and Daddy waiting for the 2 and under contest judging.

Yes, Kaci has her pacifer in her mouth.

Happy Brett.

We're losers, but we sure are cute!

Kaci

Grrr ... I'm a Giraffe

My children are losers.

As we all are at some point of our lives.

It might sound harsh, but it’s true. Some of us have lost participating in sporting events. Others have lost in 4-H showmanship contests, playing video or board games and even the lottery.

My little girls’ first loss, however, came at the Gypsum Fall Festival’s Halloween contest.

Not a big deal? Oh contraire.

For years, I prided in the fact that I’d win this contest. I won as Oscar the Grouch, wheeling around the auditorium in a real trash can. I was a Smurf, with my face painted blue. I was Snoopy on a bike turned Red Baron airplane, a hula dancer with a real grass skirt, Michael Jackson with a microphone and the headless horseman on a stick horse.

All first places, mind you.

But this year, the girls’ first year, I didn’t prepare. I bought two cute giraffe outfits and figured that might work.

Boy, was I wrong. We lost to a book worm, which consisted of a mother pushing her baby in a umbrella stroller with a big cardboard book gracing the front.

Second place was Little Bow Peep with her “sheep” dog covered in white cotton balls. Coming in third was a sleeping bumble bee thing.

As for the girls, well, they handed us a bag of complimentary M&M’s, and we were on our merry way.

Oh, the pain. I’ve been bothered ever since at my poor attempt to dress the girls for their first official contest. I’ve failed my competitive nature. More than anything, I’ve failed as a mother.

No worries. I’m already making plans for next year. We won’t lose.

And, no, I’m not telling my grand plan.

Gypsum October Festival

2008-10-20T13:21:00.015-05:00

The girls and I attended the 2008 Gypsum October Festival this year. I haven’t been back for the decades-old tradition since I graduated from high school, when our high school band director forced me to march with my trombone in the band (Yeah, he hated me :) ).

I grew up in the little Saline County town of Gypsum, population 400-something, if even that. I always loved the October Festival, included dressing up for the parade (I’ve been everything from Wonder Woman and Snoopy in a float, to the Red Baron and a pioneer on a covered wagon. I always won, too!).

Now, maybe the girls can enjoy it a little bit. At least, they liked the suckers all the politicians and others threw out.

Here are a few of the pictures from this year.

My dad, Gary Bickel, and his 1948 John Deere B.

We used to decorate it at Christmas. It was awesome. Now he doesn't do that as much. Probably because I'm not around to help and beg him to decorate it.

Dad, and the B.

OK, I'm not the best picture taker. But here is the backside of Rep. Josh Svaty, who was throwing candy. I doubt he'd read this, but if he did, I'd like to tell him I'm impressed with how long he stayed at the festival and mingled and hung around. Most politicans aren't that considerate. Anyway, he was there a good six or seven hours, and I don't think he was even hanging out with anyone.

My mom and Brett. Brett loves cows (one of her first words was cow and moo), and for some reason, kept calling the horses cows. At least she is a beef eater, like her mother.

Like I said, Brett loves the horses, or as she puts it, Cows. Aunt Lori needs to take her to her farm to see their stockers. She'd be ecstatic.

The girls sitting at the Gypsum gazebo. This is a rare moment of them sitting still.

Brett, my sister, Lori, Kaci, my nephew Jason and my brother-in-law Randy Hahn. They're watching the parade going down Main Street Gypsum.

Lori and Kaci watch the parade.

Grandma Karen and Brett.

Daddy's football team

2008-10-19T13:32:00.006-05:00

The weather is colder. I love sweatshirt weather and watching football. Sadly, however, the football season is coming to an end.

I guess.

My husband coaches high school football. I usually go to the home games, at least for a little while.

With two girls, however, this proves to be a little difficult.

They won't sit in the stands. They won't stand on the sideline.

They want to run, run and run some more.

So, we walk. Around the track. For several miles.

We eat Fig Newtons and Cheerios and Teddy Grahams. And drink milk.

But when the food runs out, so do the girls.

They are home and in bed by half time.

So Maybe It Sounds Bad ...

2008-10-10T21:20:00.004-05:00

But she was OK. And you can see just how active little Kaci was at the K-State game.

I'm sure they like K-State ...

2008-10-03T15:26:00.004-05:00

But they wouldn't sit still

Sometimes I wonder what I’m thinking.

I had visions of darling girls dressed in purple, cheering on the Kansas State University football team alongside dear old Mom.

What John and I got on that September venture was two toddlers, pissed off they couldn’t run, climb and everything else that 18-month-old girls would rather be doing.

Obviously, they wouldn’t like to sit at a football game.

We should have known it would be bad when they wouldn’t even sit still during tailgating. John and I chased them around an enclosed tennis court.

The game, however, was worse.

Brett would watch the jumbotron a little bit, but Kaci didn’t care about the music, the players on the field or the cheers from the stands. She wrestled to try to get out of my arms, wanting to climb the stairs and run, run, run.

I fed her those Goldfish crackers for a while, which seemed to appease her. When they ran out, we moved on to Teddy Grahams.

I gave her to John, who had to leave the stadium by the end of the first quarter.

My venture ended at half time. Brett was mad. Poo was running from her pants. She probably ate too many hot dogs.

My husband says he’ll never go to another K-State game again with the girls in tow.

Not that he cares. He’s a KU fan.

Future K-State graduates

2008-10-03T13:52:00.009-05:00

At least, that's what Mom hopes! Dad, on the other hand ...

Kaci and Brett

Bickel and Kaci at the Kansas State football game.

A rare moment of her being good.

Uncle Scott, John and Brett

Uncle Scott teaches Brett to clap for K-State.

Pronto Pup, Pronto Pup, Yum Yum Yum

2008-09-22T11:47:00.006-05:00

Kaci says "yummy."
Girls at the fair. They were having a blast.
Finishing the pup.

Little Brett loves food. And Pronto Pups.
Kaci and her first pup. I think she likes it.
Kaci tries to eat the stick

I know my girls are a little bit like me.

They had their first Pronto Pup at the Kansas State Fair. And they loved it.

If you don’t know what a Pronto Pup is, well, its one of the fair’s top stick foods. What it isn’t is a corn dog. Pronto Pups are made with a mixture of rice and wheat flour. They’re a state fair staple. As the sign says on the famous yellow buildings – Banquet on a Stick.

So the girls had lunch in their little red wagon while we meandered around the fairgrounds.

Unfortunately, bad batter this year caused the pups to fall apart, which, in turn meant the girls’ first dogs fell apart, which means that it was all over them.

We had to dump out the wagon and wipe it down. The girls were a mess.

But all in all, they had fun. They loved it. They take after dear old mom.

Pacifier advice

2008-09-02T13:03:00.009-05:00

After my latest column on the girls regarding little Kaci and her pacifier, I received a ton of e-mails from readers with advice, which I plan to try soon. I'll let you know if anything works. Here's a few experts from the letters and e-mails.

They won't take it to college!

Just read your woes with weaning from the binky... The good news is my eldest didn’t go to wsu with his two weekends ago. :-) He was pretty attached to his, AND his blankie.What I finally did was start clipping the end off of them. It took about three clips, and there was little, if anything, for him to hold onto.Then I had to convince him we’d lost all three of them, and they no longer MADE binkies anymore. (all gone!)Good luck. :-)

Lose them for good

I raised a family of 4 children along with my husband. Obviously most of us do whatever we need to do to have peace and quiet and especially like you said when you are at restaurants, church, public outings etc..

Our son was the most addicted to his pacifier but as he approached 18 months of age I decided as he lost them they would not be replaced. He had lost the last one and had gone almost 6 weeks without one. We had come in late one night in June from harvesting wheat and I was on the phone when my 4 year old daughter came running down from her room waving a pacifier and shouting "I found one, I found one". I hurriedly got off the phone and grabbed that pacifier and proclaimed to her to absolutely not let her brother see that thing--he'd gone 6 weeks and we weren't starting in again.

Really I don't have any sure fire methods other than if she really seems not ready maybe wait another 3 months or so and try again. I have to chuckle now that I have daughters going through the same thing with their babies. My daughter weaned her son off his pacifier pretty much cold turkey and really didn't take very long--2-3 days and he was doing OK. Good luck and have fun.

A been there, done that mom and glad it's history. (I love my kids dearly but glad God made seasons of life for a reason) The season of grandparenting is wonderful.

Cut the nipple (the most popular advice from readers)

When I was breaking my twins of their "chewie" habit, I cut a little slit in the nipple, not enough that they could chew off a piece, just enough that it was deflated; they didn't like it and they just quit using them at that point. They made the decision which made it easier on me!!

They don't make new ones?

Just had to write and tell you how we weaned our twin girls from their pacifiers. Our girls are now 48 years old, but I remember it well.. I think your girls are a bit young for this. When our girls were 2 years old and their pacifiers were getting a bit chewed up and with a little help from me tearing them up a bit more. We told them the pacifiers were broken {at that age they don't realize you can buy new ones} Had no trouble during day but for a couple of nights they woke up with 'Where's my "pacifier?' I would go in and remind them it was broken and they would soon go back to sleep. It only took a couple of nights and they forgot all about their pacifiers. I do think your girls are a little young to have their pacifiers taken away. Wait till they are two.

Vinegar, Yum!

We broke our oldest daughter of her pacifier dependency by dipping it in vinegar before giving it to her. "Ki-Ki" (it was a pacifier with a kitty face on it and we had to buy several because those were the ONLY ones that would make her happy!) then tasted yucky and SHE made the decision not to put it in her mnouth. We praised her for being a "big girl" and this took about 3 days. She didn't have the anxiety of not having it (therefore we didn't have anxiety over a crying, panic stricken child), but she realized she didn't want the yucky taste in her mouth either.

No rush ...

What a struggle you are having!!! please don't hurry and pressure Kaci to give up something that is obviously so important to her. each child has special and distinct needs--even if they are twins. i had on daughter who sucked her thumb--the dentist told me to just leave her be--i could do more harm forcing her to quit than any harm to her health. i know that goes against the current thought, but she didn't go to kindergarten sucking her thumb, and Kaci will not go to kindergarten with her pacifier. these years are so fleeting--let her be--you will have much bigger battles to fight in the coming years--just wait until she is l3!!!! you will survive this, and so will she. enjoy while you can.

Real Mothers ...

2008-08-29T08:38:00.005-05:00

Someone sent this to me ...

Real Mothers don't eat quiche; they don't have time to make it (who ever makes quiche ... I don't even know what that is. Does it have Macaroni in it? I can make that.)

Real Mothers know that their kitchen utensils are probably in the sandbox (is that why I found a teaspoon on the front porch this morning? Last night Kaci was chewing on an egg beater ... no idea.)

Real Mothers often have sticky floors, filthy ovens and happy kids (yup, yup and yup, although my husband promised to shampoo the carpets this weekend -- the twins love to throw food like Spaghetti, and milk and um, yeah).

Real Mothers know that dried play dough doesn't come out of carpets (I don't know about play dough. Just spaghetti)

Real Mothers don't want to know what the vacuum just sucked up (why vacuum? They just mess it up again. Actually, vacuuming in my house means John gets out the shop vac. It sucks up whole food better)

Help, please?

2008-08-28T08:23:00.002-05:00

Little Kaci and her pacifier

Kaci and Brett

Breaking the binky addiction a tough task for parents

Tales from the crib

Amy Bickel

The Hutchinson News

abickel@hutchnews.com

She tears apart the house. Her eyes watering, she frantically searches the floor and under her bed. In desperation, she peers up on cabinets and dressers. She's like an addict trying to get a fix - a dieter trying to find some sweets hidden in the kitchen.

She is a 17-month-old in search of her pacifier.

I'm ashamed to say it. My youngest daughter, Kaci, has an addiction.

My husband, John, and I are the parents of twin daughters - Brett and Kaci. We've been on a journey for nearly 1 1/2 years, trying to learn the ins and outs of raising our firstborns.

We've been through the spitting-up-on-mommy-and-daddy stage and the let's-throw-solid-food-on-the-floor stage.

We're still in the everything-is-mine stage.

The latest feat, however, is the get-rid-of-the-pacifier-cold-turkey stage.

We have a lot to learn.

As soon as they were born, the nurse gave our girls pacifiers.

Since then, John and I have spent money making sure their little mouths are happy.

Pacis help get them to sleep. Pacis keep them calm during rides home from day care.

It keeps them from crying during outings to public places - like sporting events, restaurants or the grocery store.

Ultimately: A pacifier nips a screaming baby's tantrum quickly. And when a baby wakes up wailing at midnight, John and I have been known, in a frantic state, to scour the baby-room floor ourselves.

I think we're just as addicted to the little sucker as they are.

Now, we're trying to fight the binky battle. Progress is slow.

Little Brett has been a champ. She doesn't seem to mind the fact she doesn't get her pacifier anymore. She's too high on life.

Kaci, however, bursts into tears every time we take it away. She doesn't sleep without it. She even has a name for it - her ba-pa.

There's a statistic out there that says 40 percent of smokers try to quit each year but fail. I now can understand why.

I keep trying to get rid of it, but frankly, I don't have the guts.

I like my sleep. I like quietness.

Is there a pacifier's anonymous?

We are making progress - slowly but surely. And someday, John and I will be able to look back and say proudly: She's been clean for six weeks, six months, maybe even a year.

For now, pacifier anyone?

Any advice? E-mail Amy at abickel@hutchnews.com. Visit http://www.hutchcountry.com/talesfromthecrib/ to read more about the twins.
"Tales from the Crib" runs quarterly.

We got a grant!

2008-08-22T15:27:00.007-05:00

Brett and Kaci in their wagon at our town's football field

where Daddy coaches high school football.

Thanks to our little girls, Brett and Kaci, the town I live in will have an outfield fence for the ball field.

This summer, I wrote a grant for the KC Royals Charities, which offers $5,000 matching grants. Besides telling them about the need for the town, I mentioned Brett and Kaci.

If you haven't guessed by now, little Brett is named after KC's great George Brett. Daddy, a die-hard Braves fan, picked out the name and spelling of Kaci without realizing the significance. I didn't tell him until after she was officially named, either.

How cool is that?

Anyway, the grant committee called this week to tell us we got the grant. They also said they loved the pictures we sent of the girls.

Of course they did!

Future duck caller

2008-08-21T16:47:00.004-05:00

Little Brett learns how to blow on a duck call from Daddy.

Children's science exam answers

2008-08-05T14:56:00.003-05:00

Q: Name the four seasons.
A: Salt, pepper, mustard and vinegar.

Q: Explain one of the processes by which water can
be made safe to drink.
A: Flirtation makes water safe to drink because it
removes large pollutants like grit, sand, dead sheep and
canoeists.

Q: How is dew formed?
A: The sun shines down on the leaves and makes them
perspire.

Q: How can you delay milk turning sour?
A: Keep it in the cow.

Q: What are steroids?
A: Things for keeping carpets still on the stairs.

Q: What happens to your body as you age?
A: When you get old, so do your bowels and you get intercontinental.

Q: Name a major disease associated with cigarettes.
A: Premature death.

Q: What is the fibula?
A: A small lie.

Q: Give the meaning of the term "Caesarian Section."
A: The Caesarian Section is a district in Rome .

Q: What does the word "benign" mean?'
A: Benign is what you will be after you be eight.

Fourth of July fun

2008-07-30T20:23:00.004-05:00

Sometimes I wonder if our children are more hyperactive.

This Fourth of July, while all the other kids in their clean little outfits ... khaki shorts and cute little tops, stayed clean for their parents, our twins were covered in dirt.

They didn't sit still. They ran around like little monsters. I knew the other parents at the party we attended were wondering if we had control of our children.

We do, but if we want to talk to anyone, we have to let them roam. After all, we are watching two, not one.

Brett and Kaci are cute. They are funny. They are a handful. But we love them dearly.

Still, the girls had a great Fourth of July. Grandma Vicki bought them some cute red and blue outfits. We spent most of the day at our city's July 4 celebration, which was a lot of fun. They picked ducks out of a pond, played in the dirt, watched a volleyball and basketball match and played in the dirt some more.

By the end of the day, they needed baths before heading to the annual fireworks display.

We drove up town to watch it. However, they were asleep before it even started.

Advice?

2008-07-12T23:11:00.006-05:00

Brett like the word "mine," even though she doesn't really own anything, yet. Maybe someday.

She's about ready to go to church. She's in her Sunday best, as I would call it.

My life is a little less hectic. My husband and I direct the rec program in our little town, and we've been swamp. Plus, I cover agriculture for my job at the Hutchinson News, and wheat harvest is a busy time. But it is all fun. I'll be posting some new photos soon, as well as updating my column for The News.

As for the twin girls, they are great. If anyone has advice on how to solve the "Mine" problem, that would be awesome. Little Brett loves the word, and gets mad when she doesn't get what she wants. Any advice would be appreciative!

They can be good ... sometimes

2008-06-12T20:30:00.001-05:00

Brett and Kaci in a rare moment being good.

SWIM! and Play

2008-06-12T15:08:00.006-05:00

The girls are enjoying summer! So far, our summer days and nights include a lot of playing outside. That means playing softball, riding behind mom's Instep bicycle, lots of wagon rides and pool time. Our little pool at least keeps them cool. Now if we could only teach them to swim.

Kaci is having fun in the pool and outside of it.

Brett and Kaci swim time.

Kaci finds the hose more fascinating than the pool.

Little Brett just lounges. She just likes sitting in water.

Little Brett

2008-06-11T07:00:00.004-05:00

Little Brett isn't as active as Kaci, but she is a ham. She loves to laugh and smile, although she does have a complex about getting her way, something both JY and I need to work on. I think her favorite words, besides Mommy and Daddy, of course, is MINE! STOP IT! and NO!

Leash or no leash

2008-06-10T21:51:00.006-05:00

Kaci is into everything.
I swore growing up I wouldn't be one of those parents who leased their kid.

It looks inhumane, for one. Words like pathetic, trashy, terrible come to mind.

That is, until I met Kaci.

This weekend, the family is going to the lake for the first-ever mini "vacation" away from home. With two girls to watch, and one who is hyped up on life, runs everywhere she goes and is as smart as she is quick, I fear finding her a the bottom of the lake.

And I don't care what anyone says about leashes. I love my little girl too much.

So this weekend, she'll be leashed. I'll feel better despite the scorn of uppity folk look down on me.

And we'll hopefully never have to leash up our child again.

Top baby names of 2007

2008-05-19T15:08:00.002-05:00

My girls' names didn't make the list ...

The Social Security Commission has revealed the most popular baby names in 2007 - and has broken it down for a state-by-state view.
In Kansas, ``Ethan'' topped the list of boy's names and ``Addison'' was the most popular girl's name.
``Jacob'' and ``Emily'' topped the national list and were among the top five most popular names in Kansas.
Take a look.
Boys names:
1. Ethan
2. Jacob
3. Alexander
4. Jackson
5. Noah
Girls names:
1. Addison
2. Emma
3. Ava
4. Madison
5. Emily
For more lists, including the 1,000 most popular names for 2007 and the top 100 twin names in 2007, visit www.socialsecurity.gov.

Child left in car

2008-05-14T20:37:00.006-05:00

I tend to wonder if the whole thing was exaggerated a bit. Especially since the woman wasn't very far from the car. Then again, I wasn't there. I try not to go places with two girls. Dad takes them grocery shopping once in a while, but I think he's very brave!

What do you think?

Charges dropped against Tinley Park woman who left child in car

Crestwood police stand behind decision to arrest

While a Tinley Park woman celebrated, the Crestwood police chief said he was disappointed that prosecutors Thursday dropped charges of child endangerment and obstruction of justice against her for leaving her toddler asleep in a parked car.

"We're not happy with the decision. . .she clearly refused to cooperate with our officers that night, and we believe this sends the wrong message to the public," police Chief Timothy Sulikowski said. "We stand behind our officers and the decision they made that night to protect the welfare of that child."

Ellen "Treffly" Coyne, 36, appeared Thursday afternoon in the Bridgeview branch of Cook County Circuit Court, where Assistant State's Atty. Peggy Gill-Curtin told Judge James J. Ryan that "based on the completed investigation into all the facts of the case, the state has concluded it would be unable to meet the burden of proof at trial."

As she walked toward the courtroom door, her husband, Tim Janecyk, 38, met her in the aisle and hugged her. As they embraced, the judge said, "Sir, you have to go outside."

Coyne and her three daughters, Sierra, 9, Haley, 8, and Phoebe, 2, went to a Wal-Mart in Crestwood on Dec. 8 to donate $8.29 the children had collected for the annual Salvation Army kettle drive. Phoebe was asleep, so Coyne said she parked at the curb, shut off the engine, locked the doors and activated the hazard lights and car alarm before leaving the station wagon to take a photo of the girls as they put their coins into the bucket.

Coyne said she was never more than 30 feet from the vehicle and was gone for only a few minutes. A Crestwood community service officer saw the girl in the car and called for police.

In Illinois, parents who leave a child age 6 or younger unattended in a car can be charged with misdemeanor child endangerment, which carries a penalty of up to 1 year in jail and a $2,500 fine.

"We have contended all along that the child was never unattended in the vehicle, that Miss Coyne, the whole entire time, could see the vehicle from where she was standing," said Coyne's attorney, Michelle Forbes. She added that the community service officer did not have a clear view of Coyne while she was away from her car.

"The officers at the scene never bothered to listen to her story—they just chose to charge her," Forbes said. "We're glad that the state's attorney's office reviewed all the evidence, looked at the [store security] videotape and agreed with us that no crime was committed."

News stories about Coyne's arrest sparked heated debate across the country on Internet message boards, with some accusing the police of abusing their power and others supporting them for their quick action.

Easter pics

2008-05-02T12:10:00.000-05:00

We celebrated Easter in my parent's hometown of Gypsum. Here's a few pics of the girls and their Easter outfits.

Where is Kaci?

2008-05-02T12:00:00.000-05:00

So, I felt like a terrible mommy.

Sure, the girls have had a few falls now and then. They've endured a long car-ride to Colorado for skiing. I've made them try vegetables that I don't even like.

But a few nights ago, on a trip around the local high school track on the bicycle, the girls in the In-Step trailer, I thought I had really done it.

I thought I had lost Kaci.

She was safely buckled in when we started. We had already gone a couple miles, the girls sitting back there, playing with toys, I'm rocking to the Oak Ridge Boys on my ipod, when I look back for the umteenth time to check on them.

Kaci wasn't there. I freaked.

Kaci is a wanderer. Brett hasn't figured out the walking bit yet. But Kaci, she's everywhere. She's into everything. I had nightmarish visions that she had somehow jumped out of the trailer and had already roamed to a nearby wheat field. I'd never find her.

The guy jogging was a great help, however.

He pointed out, when I hysterically asked him if he had seen my daughter (I have no idea what he was thinking about a question like that, either), that she was hiding in the storage part of the trailer.

Little Kaci, who is quick, as well as lanky, and gotten out of her seat belt and sneaked into the area behind the seat.

My heart still beating loudly, I fastened her back in, took one more lap around the track, and we headed for the safety of home.

What the girls like to watch

2008-04-24T20:57:00.000-05:00

So, we don't watch a lot of television in our house. Usually we're outside or playing or doing something else.

However, our girls do a have a couple favorite television shows, including anything Snoopy.

It just proves that even an outdated comic strip character is just as popular as ever.

I don't know why some people think the strip should stop running. It will take another 50 years to get through all the reruns.

And our girls eyes light up when they see Snoopy on the screen. There's nothing fancy about the animation like today's cartoons.

Other shows they watch include Backyardigans and Curious George.

Mom left in dust as twins hit 1 year in a flash

2008-04-16T13:04:00.000-05:00

Here's my latest column.

Twelve months and counting, and I can’t believe it.
I never could have guessed I would have made it this far in the realm of motherhood.
My husband, John, and I are the busy, stressed-out parents of twin girls – one who’s bald, one who has a head of hair. They celebrated their first birthday recently.
Boy, has one year gone by fast.
It seemed like it was just the other day I was swinging a golf club with my husband – our last official outing before parenthood. An hour later, my water broke. And in the wee hours of a Tuesday morning, our babies Brett and Kaci were born.
At the time, their first birthday seemed light years away. I didn’t think I’d ever get through the period of no sleep, the screams from colic or the change of lifestyle – one that meant more days in the house watching two girls than going out gallivanting.
Then they hit six months. They got teeth and began to crawl. Soon, they were eating macaroni and cheese beside mommy and daddy at the dinner table.
Then – gasp – one year passes, and two little girls are sitting at their high chairs slamming down birthday cake in front of memorized onlookers. Where did the time go?
I didn’t figure I’d get used to bad diapers or food everywhere. Now I don’t even think twice when a Cheerio or sweet pea crunches underfoot, although I still scream for John when I smell something foul.
Still, it’s the toughest job occupation I’ve ever encountered. On most days, our house is a whirlwind of activity, and the little monsters, as John calls them, are in the center of it.
Keep your hands out of the poop, and your hat on your head. Brett, don’t pull your sister’s hair! Kaci, that’s Brett’s pacifier, don’t take it from her, and don’t dig through the trash. Why are you pooping sand?
Didn’t Mommy say no?
If only they would make it easier. I tried to tell them this during their one-year review. If they were listening at all, they didn’t seem to acknowledge it. Instead, we repeat the same scenario daily.
Still, I can’t help but wish they’d stay a year old forever.
I don’t want Brett to get hair – she’s my cute, bald little kid. And I definitely don’t want Kaci to get any more active. She’s already running from room the room and into everything.
I love how they babble to each other in some foreign language that only they understand. I love how they cuddle when they’re tired, how they’re eyes light up when we walk into the room and they see us, how they try to give us kisses.
Then, all of a sudden, they are 1, and here we are having a party celebrating the momentous occasion.
It brought both joy and terror.
They screamed at the people, which included close relatives that they don’t see a lot. I felt terrible as they clung to John and I – desperately trying to tell us, “Mommy, Daddy, make them leave!”
But they started to cheer up when present time rolled around. They tried to eat the packaging.
They loved the cake, which they happily stuffed in their mouths and smeared on their face, clothing and high chair, then dripped the bright blue icing on the floor.
And somehow, they slept well that night, despite the sugar high.
When it was all over, John and I sat back, exhausted from the planning, the people and the overall event.
“I’m a little sad it happened so fast,” I told him of the past year.
“But look at everything we have to look forward to,” he reminded, then rattled off all the things he wanted to do with his little girls.
I guess he’s right, I thought, and then smiled. They’ve brought so much happiness and love to our little family.

Twins turn 1

2008-04-15T20:36:00.001-05:00

Brett and Kaci turned 1 on March 6. It is hard to believe that one year went by so fast. We celebrated with close family, which included watching them stuff cake in their mouths. Happy Birthday!

Baby A and Baby B

2008-04-13T16:38:00.001-05:00

Want to know how it all started? Here's my first story on being pregnant with twins. This published in November of 2006.

My husband calls them Baby A and Baby "Holy Catnip."

Well, those weren't his exact words, which can't be printed, but they were definitely uttered when we left the doctor's office after my first sonogram.

Our first children would be twins, the ultrasound technician told us. But to me they looked more like little aliens than something human.

Not that we hadn't planned for children, when I hit 30, i realized my biological clock was ticking, plus I was a little tired of the questions friends and family on why we hadn't started a family.

"You do practice?" one nosey relative asked me once to my dismay.

Anyway, I'm due in March. Preparation already has begun in our household.

We are going to need diapers -- a ton of them. Some of the facts. 18 billion disposable diapers are thrown into landfills each year -- making up the third-largest source of solid waste in landfills after newspapers and food and beverage containers. I guess we will add to those statistics.

Besides spending more money on diapers, we're already planning for two cribs, two high chairs, tow car seats and a double stroller, just to top off the list. What we budged for day care will double, as well as the other expenses of raising children.

Husband John's big money-saving idea: We'll buy a goat and milk it if, for some reason, the babies are allergic to breast milk. He even asked a co-worker about keeping on at her farm. HE also would be the one milking it every morning and evening.

On the subject of motherhood, I'll admit I'm scared to death. I'm not domesticated. I eat cold tomato soup out of the can when John's away coaching, or frozen pizza and Kraft macaroni and cheese. I still don't consider myself a grown-up, and the thought of being one gives me goose bumps.

I don't know the first thing about changing diapers, what a baby east and all that other stuff that probably is in the book "Parenting for Dummies."

Also, we're in a habit of doing things whenever we feel like it. We might decided to go out to eat at Buffalo Wild Wings or to the movies at the last minute. We play softball three or four days a week in the summer, and in the fall, we're at every home Kansas State University football game.

Life from now on will require careful planning.

But to tell you the truth, we couldn't be more excited. WE talk about how someday our twins might like to hunt and play sports, that they will go to college and become professionals and make sue extremely proud.

Some couples dream of having one baby; God blessed us with two.

For now, all has gone pear-shaped, and I expected to turn into the Great Pumpkin any day now.

Jayhawks

2008-04-13T16:03:00.000-05:00

My twins

Likes: Mom, bananas, pizza, macaroni, swings and wagons.

Dislikes: Sleeping and KU.

I'm a K-State fan. That's where I graduated. That's the team I followed since I was a toddler.

My husband is a KU fan. We have a divided house.

He's one of those die-hard Jayhawk fans. He recalls listening to games at night on the radio when everyone in his family was asleep. So, naturally, it was a stressful time around our house during the NCAA tournament this year.

Now he's preparing to frame every newspaper in the land that had a front-page picture of the Jayhawks. He has a championship T-Shirt. He says I don't understand. My team only as won a national championship in debate.

Still, I say, he's out numbered.

If I have it my way, the girls and I won't be wearing red and blue anytime soon. We bleed purple.

But, I'll have to admit, if he was posting this, he'd probably be writing a different story. And if he had his way, the girls would have more red and blue in the closet than purple and white.

Two girls

2008-03-29T20:57:00.000-05:00

I still remember my husband's look of fear when he found out he'd be the father of two girls.

The whole twins thing had already left him speechless. A few months later, he the found out there were two girls in there.

That meant three women in the house, three cycles, and I'm not talking about the washing machine.

Today, he wouldn't trade our girls for anything, even though he is outnumbered three to one.

Brett and Kaci were born March 6, 2007.