Biopsy update and finally I stop being vague

I had my second biopsy yesterday afternoon. The doctor feels confident he removed all the damaged cells and the results should come back next week confirming everything is clear.

I have been purposefully vague on my blog with results and technical terms. I have done this to prevent people from googling medical information and coming to their own conclusions. My diagnosis was severely abnormal moles (dysplastic nevi) with melanoma cells. MELANOMA, the most serious of the skin cancers. Jon was at yesterday's appointment and can attest to how freaking scary the conversation was. Scary scary scary.

My doctor was very serious about my diagnosis and reiterated to me that I am 100 (yes, one hundred) times more likely to get melanoma again. From now until the rest of my life, I am to check my entire body weekly. I am to avoid the sun. As for how I feel, physically my stomach hurts and I need to move slowly to prevent pain. Emotionally I can not help but think I dodged a bullet.

Before I leave you with a joke (as is my style), let me be very serious and frank. 1 in 5 Americans will get skin cancer in their lifetime. You NEED to put sunscreen on your children. If you hate the idea of chemical sunscreens, there are great physical blocks on the market. If you see anything abnormal on yourself or someone you love, contact a doctor as soon as possible. Skin cancer is almost 100% treatable if caught early. Do not google. Talk to a dermatology professional.

Now for the joke. Jon was with me with the entire appointment and we were gabbing about stupid stuff while waiting for the anaesthesia to take effect. I told him I had the perfect Christmas present idea for myself - Sarah Palin's memoir. I told him the title was "Going Rogue" then I said my book cover idea would be Sarah Palin dressed up as Rogue from the X-Men (LOVE those movies, especially yummy Jean-Luc Picard). Jon said, "And she could be leaning out of a helicopter shooting Wolverine."

This is why Jon and I belong together. I need someone to crack jokes with me during the most serious of times.

Nate: three going on thirteen

Sunday evening, Jon was picking up takeout and Nate was giving me grief over something I told him not to do. He objected when I told him that was the rule. Finally I said, "This is my house and that's the rule in my house." He told me it was not my house, it was everyone's house - mommy, daddy, Nate, and Alex's house.

I said, "I pay my money for this house so it is my house." Nate said, "Well then I need to get money so I can pay for the house to make my rules."

Anyone know of any jobs for a smart sassy three year old?

(My biopsy is this afternoon. I've been in quite the crap mood the last few days, so the comments coming out of Nate's mouth have been wildly entertaining and needed.)

Now officially a soccer mom

Saturday we went to Nate and Alex's soccer practice and it was unbelievably cute. I tried taking pictures but with the dirty glass and complete chaos on the field, it was hard to get anything good. When I downloaded the pictures later, I freaked out because somehow my boys grew up into big boys! What happened to my little babies?! And when I saw this picture, I couldn't help but think of the years of sports we have ahead of us with our dynamic duo.



Alex especially loves every minute of soccer. At the end of practice, everyone sat in a circle and Alex leaned in to give one of the coaches a huge hug. Some days I can't believe how full of love he is. (And some days I can't believe how full of energy he is, but that is a post for another day.)



Jon and I decided we will trade off on practices since this is not an activity that requires both parents to be there. This segues nicely into a topic I hope to write about this week... how, despite all advice to the contrary, we are finding 3 to be easier than 2 at our house. Stay tuned!

Phone Photo Friday

Joanna had a great post yesterday on the constant readjustments needed to maintain balance while being a parent. One of the biggest blessings of having twins as first (and last!) children is that we learned very early on that life had to be prioritized. I would love to be pursuing tons of personal goals but there is simply not time in the day.

Currently I have three outside "me" interests. I have gotten into running again, but that is something I need to do for my health. Reading is always on the list since reading helps my brain calm down enough to go to sleep. Photography is pretty huge for me right now, but that goes hand in hand with being a mom. I'm already taking pictures, they may as well get better with time.

One of the reasons I wanted to start Phone Photo Friday was to help push myself to take better pictures during the times it is impractical to bust out the big honking DSLR. The spark happened in my brain when I snapped this picture of Alex at the Fargo airport in July while waiting for Jon to put the car seats in the rental car.



This photo demonstrates why photography is so interesting to me. You take what could be a stressful moment - corralling two 3 year olds in an airport - and turn it into a sweet sliver of time. My heart melts every time I see this quick shot.

Don't forget to leave a comment if you play along! And visit Joanna to help her with ideas on how you maintain balance.

Another evil invention: restaurant booths

Before I had kids, I thought the evil inventions of this world were mostly created by Dick Cheney (ha! that's about as political as you will ever seen on my blog.). One classic example of a newfound-to-me evil invention is the Target double shopping cart. There is a special place in hell for the person who invented a cart where kids face each other and don't have enough space for their feet. Every time I go to Target with the boys, I am so tempted to use those carts. Then I use them and find myself perilously close to ripping open a package of duct tape and clearly marking sides to stop the boys from fighting each other to the death over where their feet should go.

The latest evil invention I've found is restaurant booths. We could not wait for the day we could go out to eat without using dirty grimy restaurant high chairs. Ha! We were so foolish. Booths are another item that routinely trick me. Each time we go to a restaurant with booths, I think it won't be so bad then we sit in the booth and by the end I am ready to lose it.

3 year olds were not meant to sit in booths. They have too much energy. We went to dinner last night and sat in a booth (again, why?! how many times must I learn this lesson?!). When they sit in a chair, they sit nicely and eat dinner politely. When we put them in a booth, it's like their own personal playspace. Let me list the variety of fidgeting the boys exhibited:

* Standing on the booth seat
* Getting up to look out the window
* Trying to climb under the booth to switch sides
* Sitting right up next to us, so close that they dropped food on us
* Arguing over who gets to sit with mommy and daddy
* Sit on bottom, kneel, sit on bottom, kneel, "Mommy I'm sitting on my bottom!", "Mommy I'm kneeling!"
* Peeking around booth corner to see people on other side of booth
* Repeat repeat repeat

None of this is "bad" behavior but it is so hard to eat a meal with the constant wiggling, moving, and narration that comes along with it all. And they use up all their attention on fidgeting that they rarely ever eat anything. We always head home to find they are still hungry, so at home they sit at the table in their booster chairs and eat leftovers from the meal they didn't eat at the restaurant.

What are some other evil kid inventions?

Another milestone: first movie in a theater

On the potty training front, we have had lots of #2 issues. With the traveling, swim diapers, and transition to the new classroom, we've had regressions and problems. Nate had a major breakthrough and filled up his sticker chart, so we told him he could get a new toy or go to a movie in a theater. We watched previews online (again, what did parents do before the internet?!) and he chose "Up."

I took him last night and it was just as fun for me as it was for him. On the way there, he talked a mile a minute. He was so excited about getting tickets, getting candy and popcorn, and the enormous screen. The hardest part was getting him to whisper when the movie was on. I lost count of the number of times he yelled out something in excitement. I couldn't believe how much better it made the movie to see it all for the first time through his eyes. Afterwards he talked a mile a minute on the way home and told me he was going to get another sticker chart and fill it up to see another movie.

Music to my ears!

The movie was wonderful. I cried twice and Nate was so enthralled by the big screen he didn't notice. He had to use the restroom during the long fight scene at the end, which worked out perfect since he was getting scared. On the walk to the bathroom, Nate asked why the people were hitting each other with sticks and I was so proud he made it to 3 years 4 months without knowing what a sword fight is. I know he won't keep this innocence forever so it was a touching moment.

It will probably be a long time before Alex sees a movie in a theater. He is so sensitive that he breaks down into sobs when there is even a hint of scary music. And there is no way Alex will see Up in the theater, it was too scary for him. This made the date night with Nate even sweeter, knowing it was a special event for just the two of us.

For locals, we went to the dollar theater just south of the fairgrounds. Turns out Tuesday is recession night at the concession stand! It was $7 for two tickets, a popcorn, a drink, and candy. If you're considering going to a movie but not sure how your kids will do, I would recommend this venue.

First day of fall surprise

This morning the boys put their shoes on their hands and sang "If You're Happy and You Know It." They laughed every time they clapped their shoe-hands together.

I wish every morning scramble was like this.

I went to New York and all I got was these friendships

I'm planning to write this post before I read anyone else's account of the trip. I will be brave and say it - this trip to New York to meet "strangers" was one of the most fun trips I have ever had. We talked and laughed and ate and drank and talked some more. Every person was exactly as I imagined them, but with a little bit of extra oomph in their personalities.

Bridget was just as stylish as I thought she would be. As expected, she oozed with southern charm and enthusiasm for her girls.



Rita was just as outgoing as I thought she would be. As expected, she was strong and opinionated and warm.



Cacey was just as introspective as I thought she would be. She had the talking speed and energy of a 24 year old but the heart and mind of someone much older. (Cacey I'm thinking book jacket photo for this one.)



And of course she was the most willing model in my picture escapades.



Joanna was just as a I remembered from last fall - smart and witty. She hits my funny bone in just the right place.



Seriously can I tell you how much we were laughing all weekend? It was probably a bad idea (and an awesome idea) to have us room together because we stayed up way too late talking and laughing.



And then there's Lindsay, who in real life I call my "best blogfriend." It's odd to me that out of the hundreds of blogs I have seen and read, I can somehow pick the one where I feel like I know the person the best and I was immediately comfortable.



If only the two of us could meet somewhere between Dallas and Raleigh to watch SYTYCD every week!



We did do a little bit of tweeting and facebooking...




but for the most part, we spent the time talking. And more talking. And eating while talking. Usually with my introverted ways, I need a break from all the talking to regroup but I was just so happy to get time with everyone in person that I didn't want to miss anything.

Of course I took group pictures everywhere to make sure we got one that turned out well. I took them at Rockefeller Center...



and Central Park...



and Central Park....



and even though I lined up the pictures and accosted PLENTY of strangers to take our pictures we never got one that was awesome of all of us. In the end, I don't think having a perfect picture mattered because I'm sure we will never forget this amazing trip.



We had such a good time we're doing it next fall too! In the meantime, I hope these girls know my life has been so much better having them in it and I am so thankful for these friendships.

Phone Photo Friday

Here's what I will be missing when I'm in New York - Nate and Alex's very first soccer class!

After our experience with parent-child swim lessons last winter Jon and I agreed: no more parent-child classes! Ever! This fall they will be doing Lil' Kickers on the field by themselves while we watch. Last weekend they had an open house and the boys tried soccer, baseball, and basketball. They both loved soccer which was a relief as we had already signed up and paid!

Alex was so excited and could have stayed all day. Here he shows off his game face.. and yes, those are XS uniforms! I am a little sad I will miss seeing them the first day they play in uniforms but there will be plenty of photo opportunities later.


I am officially a soccer mom to #1 and #2 and couldn't be more excited! Have you ever seen anything cuter?!

Blogster's paradise

I am so excited. SO EXCITED. Tomorrow I will get on plane to go to New York for a girls weekend...

with Lindsay from Crawford House
and Joanna from Sidewalk Chalk and Sippy Cups
and Bridget from Equilibrium
and Rita from Blog Soup
and Cacey from London's Calling

Blogfriend meetup!!! All of us "met" on Babycenter on the May 2006 baby message board when our kids were newborns. For the last 3+ years we have gotten to know each other through babycenter, our blogs, facebook, and emails. I've already met Lindsay and Joanna and CAN NOT WAIT to hang out with them again.

I have three overriding reasons why I blog. My top reason is so that I always have record of this amazing time in my life. My second reason is to allow my family and friends to get to really know Nate and Alex. And a reason I found along the way was to find like-minded people who will help me become the best mother I can be. Some days I am astounded at how many truly good people I have found on the internet. I can always find hope, inspiration, advice, and a listening ear. I have no desire to make money or go big with my blog. I'm happy in my little space, making real connections with people.

When planning this trip, we were hoping to get on a show (no luck!) and I wrote about what this mini-community has meant to us. The following paragraphs describe how I feel about these women and also describe how I feel about all the people who read here and whose blogs I read:

Despite all of our differences, together we have created a network of support, encouragement, and advice using the internet. We have seen each other through teething, tantrums, medical issues, toddlerhood, miscarriages, and new babies. We have helped each other learn to balance the demands of full-time jobs and families.

Through our interactions with each other online, we have learned to become better mothers and better humans. We have learned to focus on our commonalities rather than our differences. We have learned there is no one right way to do things. We have learned that everyone faces their own struggles and we can help just by being there. All of these lessons came to us from our utilization of modern technology to aid us in our desire to become good mothers.

There are so many of you I wish I could meet! Not only to have a good time, but to say thank you. Thank you for being part of this experience with me. And if you want to meet, let's find a way to make it happen!

The Chipotle effect

Jon was on a business trip last night and I felt too lazy to cook dinner so I took the boys to Chipotle. Also at Chipotle was a 10 year old boy, ignoring his family while texting his friends and looking very put out and embarrassed to be with his parents.

Suddenly I didn't mind that the boys want to spend so much time with me.

PS. Chipotle is about as healthy and env-friendly as you can get for fast food, as well as one of the best places to get tasty vegetarian fast food. N&A had kids quesadillas (rBGH free cheese) and rice. I had a veggie burrito bol (30% organic beans). If you like meat, their meat is antibiotic and hormone free, vegetarian fed with no animal by-products (read here). Our local Chipotle recycles glass and plastic.

Not openly laughing at the boys FAIL

The hardest part of dealing with 3 year olds is the lack of listening. I expect the defiance and lack of listening to things they don't want to hear (wash your hands, leave your brother alone). The lack of listening that drives me crazy is when they want to talk to you so you ask them questions and they don't answer. Having two 3 year olds really tries my patience some days.

Boy A not listening to commands + Boy B not listening to commands + Boy A generally not listening + Boy B generally not listening = pushing my buttons over and over.

Add this to the boys increased physicality and some days I go bonkers. The boys stand on the couch to turn on the living room lights and the ceiling fan. I have told them over and over to stop playing with the switches. Sunday morning I was making pancakes when Nate started yelling and crying for his balloon he had just gotten at the grocery store.

I look up to see the ceiling fan going with his balloon tangled in the blades. Around and around and around and POP! Then the crying really started.

I tried so hard not to laugh at the situation. But every time I would try to explain what happened to an inconsolable Nate, I would start laughing which made Nate cry harder. They both kept piping up with WHY! WHY! BUT WHY! Nate sobbing, me laughing, Alex acting innocent (I know it was him!), the entire situation was hilarious. Not only could I not keep a straight face, I kept laughing and giggling. Every time Nate said, "But I want my balloon!" and I had to say, "Sorry you should have listened to me." I would break down laughing again.

I bet they won't mess with the ceiling fan switch anymore.

Good bye summer 2009

The last day of the pool was a beautiful one, sunny and 85, but the cooler nights significantly cooled down the water temperature to the point where the boys didn't want to stay long on their last day. I thought I would be sad to say good-bye to the pool but we are all ready to move on to other activities. While I will miss sitting together eating ice cream after pool afternoons, frankly I am ready to say good bye to swim diapers forever.



On the walk home, we talked about fall: leaves changing, soccer, Halloween, Thanksgiving. With each passing year, the boys understand and enjoy these events even more. I'm coming to love the changing of the seasons as it constantly brings new joys to share with my boys. And with so many heavy things in my heart right now (skin cancer, grandfather passing), it is nice to have the boys to help me stay present and focused on the positive. How could this scene not cheer me up?



Good bye summer 2009, I had an incredible time watching my little fish in the water. I can't wait to see what joys summer 2010 brings.

Phone Photo Friday

Remember I mentioned that Nate is in a (VERY GROSS) licking phase? I heard his trademarked "ELL ELL" noise and found this on the Labor Day trip:

SO GROSS!

But wait! There's more! Alex was jealous of Nate getting his picture taken licking his foot, so he started licking his foot too and told me to take his picture.

Shakes fist in air.... TWINS!

I'm also playing Phone Photo Friday on my other blog. I think you will like it. Leave a comment if you post a phone photo!

And... the drama starts

Ever since Alex took his first steps, I have had to develop an iron stomach. My crazy theory is he had his helmet during the crucial "learn fear of falling on your head" phase and so never developed this fear. The picture I posted last week of Nate jumping off the slide? Alex did that 20 times before Nate got brave enough to do it and got hurt. He is simply a whirlwind of energy and a very physical kid. I am generally shocked at some of the injuries that he shakes off: full force into walls, falling down at full speed, falling off beds and couches.

Tuesday we went to a local park and Alex was beyond fascinated by the skateboarders at the skate park. That might be my limit because skaters get HURT.

But then three years old came along and we found his achilles heel. In Ohio we were visiting some cousins and he got stung by a bee. It was the first bee sting for either of them and it was mass chaos. He was screaming and yelling and crying and shouting, "It hurts! It hurts so much! My arm! I don't like bees!" At some points he was completely out of control kicking and writhing. He wouldn't let us look at it, touch it, or put anything on it. He just sat cuddled with me sobbing, poor thing. He eventually calmed down with a special duck washcloth and a popscicle.

Then last night he fell in the driveway and skinned his knee. It was a tiny scrape with just a couple of drops of blood, yet it was a complete repeat of the bee sting episode. (Side note: Nate had the same freaking out screaming reaction to his first knee scrape with blood.) Again he was out of control until I mentioned magic jelly beans would make him feel better. He immediately stopped crying, ran downstairs, and happily ate his magic jelly beans.

If only I could figure out magic jelly beans for all of life's hurts.

Ohio trip picture overload

The majority of our time in Ohio was spent with family hanging out at my aunt Angie and uncle Ed's farm. It was a real farm with real cows and everything. This is a tradition - I take a picture of a cow every time I visit. I don't know why.



My sister Jamie is a real city girl so she wanted a picture of herself with the cows but she was too afraid to get too close.



Nate was brave enough to venture close, eventually feeding the cows hay as well. Here my uncle Ed explains to Nate how he refills the drinking water tanks for the cows.




The fourth best part of the farm was all the desserts. ha! I think Verhoffs (my maiden name) are famous for their sweet tooths, and Nate and I are no exception to this. We ate our weight in dessert. The third best part of the farm was all the space for the boys to run around outside and play. And you know Alex's favorite part was playing with my cousin's dog Chicco. All he wanted to do was either play with the dogs or sit with the dogs.




The second best part of the farm was the lighting before sunset. I can't imagine better lighting to take photos, the entire sky was golden. It has me excited to really practice my photography skills before heading back again. Seriously, look at this light!



It's flattering on grownups too! This is my aunt Rose, who also has fraternal twins. They are going to college next year. I'll be asking her advice in 15 years on twin empty nest syndrome.




And the best part of the farm was family. The Verhoff family is large. Only immediate family was at my grandpa's service and it was over 100 people, not including any of the great-grandchildren. So here are a lot of pictures of my family, in order of age... first the matriarch of the family, my grandma Gladys. I can't think of a single bad thing to say about her, she is a sweetheart, great cook, good heart, wonderful woman. I got really lucky with two amazing grandmothers.



Next up is my dad Dave with my sister Jamie. (Somehow I have no pictures of my uncle Joe, but he was definitely there and shared some beautiful words at the service.)



Then my aunt Ang and uncle Ed, who are always gracious hosts when we visit. If I've ever linked to you on my blog, then my aunt Ang is probably reading your blog!



Here's my aunt Rose and her family, uncle Brian and cousins Scott, Kyle, and Kara.



Then the baby of the bunch, my aunt Deb and uncle Mike.



Last but not least, me with my little sister Jamie. We don't see each other as often as we would like since she lives in Phoenix, so thank goodness for email, texting, phone, and blogging!



When going through photos of the trip, there are very few pictures of Nate. He is extremely uncooperative with photos right now, turning his back and hiding his face when he sees a camera. Rose and Nate watched the sunset together and that was the only time I got him to cooperate with me taking photos. Thank goodness for sunsets because I love this picture!




While overall this was a sad reason for family to get together, it was a wonderful opportunity to see everyone. As soon as we pulled into the driveway at home, Nate started crying that he wanted to go to Angie's house. I think that means it was a successful trip for everyone!

And.... we're home

Yesterday morning I went for a 5.5 mile run and came home to find Jon had taken the dishwasher apart. I was starving so Jon said he would make chocolate chip pancakes while I took a shower. I came down from my shower to find a pancake burning on the stove, the dishwasher still apart, and Nate had fallen into the toilet with his pajamas on.

One might ask how Nate fell into the toilet, why he was still wearing his pajamas, or even more importantly, how he got out of the toilet fully clothed yet fully soaked. I have no answers, sorry.

And now that we're home, let me tell you how FREAKING EASY it was to drive 1300 miles with two 3 year olds. Nate and Alex sat in the back happily watching tv the entire ride (11 hours each way). Jon and I sat up front playing on my iphone, listening to music and NPR podcasts, and talking. I thought I would do a huge writeup on long car rides with kids but I came home with only two pieces of advice:

1. Bribe your children with tv and snacks
2. Screw potty training. Pullups are your friend for getting maximum time between stops.

The only amusing story about our road trip is that at our VERY LAST TURN 70 miles from home (yes after 1230 miles), Jon went the wrong direction on 40. We had to take a detour through downtown Winston-Salem and some guy pulled up next to us asking for directions. I was so punchy from being in the car for so long that I rolled down the window and said, "Sorry, we're lost too!" then rolled up the window.

And you know two three year olds piped up from the back seat, "Why are we lost? Are we lost? Daddy where are we? Mommy why are we lost?"

Four years

Four years ago this weekend, Jon and I got in our car and drove 15 hours to move from Chicago to Cary, NC. We were one of those cars packed to the brim that you pass, wondering where they are going. We were going to our new life.

We spent two years making a decision where to move by researching cities and making lists of our must-haves and would-like-to-haves. We described our ideal home, our ideal city, and our ideal life. The drive was a drive of hope, one where we talked for hours about whether this place would live up to our expectations. Would we be happy there? Would we make a life we want? Would we have kids? Would our kids be happy there?

Four short years later, those questions have been answered. Our life is everything we ever dreamed, with the highlight being these two wonderful 3 year olds:



Four years later, moving to a new city together has been the best adventure to ever happen to us. Nate and Alex are decadent icing on the delicious cake of my life with Jon.



While we have many milestones to celebrate (years together, years married), this one sometimes feels like the biggest because it is the milestone where we took a major leap in the direction of our dreams.

My dream for the next four years: enjoy my time with my best friend and my two boys.

Memorial

This weekend we drove to Ohio to attend my grandpa Joe's memorial service. I do not plan to publicly share my grief in this space; suffice it to say his presence was greatly missed. The weather was gorgeous the entire trip, allowing everyone to linger outside chatting and enjoying time together.





I know grandpa's spirit was there in all of us, each in our own way. I know he would have been happy to have all of us together as few things were as important to him as family. And I know grandpa would be happy to hear that Alexander Joseph (& Nathan Robert) can not wait to go back to Ohio to visit family again.



Many more trip photos to come this week.

Phone Photo Friday

I'm Going to Miss Summer Edition.

The miracle bookcase

I mentioned that I went to Ikea on Sunday to pick up a bookcase. We wanted some storage for the playroom that was versatile enough to use as the boys get older. I got an Expedit bookcase with drawers and inserts, which Jon and I assembled on Sunday night:



(plans are in the works to put up larger photo frames above the bookcase as part of a larger photo organization project)

I know what you're thinking when you look at this photo. It looks so organized! You must have picked it up for the boys! Nope. Here is the miracle of buying this bookcase right when the boys moved to the 3s room. Whenever they take something out of the bookcase, they put it away before taking something else out.

It is crazy. The boys now go to the playroom, sit on the couch and read books, put the books away and get out art supplies, then when they're done with art they clean everything up. Many twin moms said things starting drastically improving at age 3 and we're starting to see little glimpses of it every day.

Yet more pool photos, this time in the backyard

Last night we decided to go to the pool after work. We walked all the way there and they were closing early since no one had been there in hours. The boys SOBBED when they heard the news so I thought on my feet and told them we would set up a pool in our backyard.

Cue ten bazillion questions from the boys on aforementioned backyard pool. 3 years is such a fun age but the questions, THE QUESTIONS! (And please remember I have TWO of these question-askers.)

It didn't matter that the pool was smaller than I remember because the boys still had a blast.



Alex was happy as a clam, going down the slide over and over. Once he learned he could put toys down the slide, the backyard pool got launched into Favorite Activity Ever.




Nate was happy as he jumped around from activity to activity, narrating everything along the way. Did I mention the questions? At least day care is teaching them to say "May I?" Yes Nate, you may play with this very fun backyard pool and give me a break from the questions.



I was playing around trying to capture action shots and they didn't turn out the way I wanted. I still think this blurry effect is fun and representative of three year olds: action action action.



And to no one's surprise, this particular stunt ended poorly.

A laundry story in two parts, with both parts related to twins

PART 1:

While we try to do loads of laundry throughout the week, with two working parents, we often end up doing a mountain of laundry on the weekend. Jon ran a load on towels on Friday night and we went to bed without putting it away. Saturday morning, Jon opened the dryer to find wet towels.

I'm sure the next part of our conversation drove Jon crazy. I proceeded to ask him if he was sure he had run it, did he run it with heat, was he completely sure. I asked these questions because having twins has ruined some parts of our brains and we have no idea when these ruined parts will show themselves.

Shakes fist in air.... TWINS!

PART 2:

Jon was sure he ran it the night before so he proceeded to test the dryer at every setting. It was still not working. He got out the manual (oh how I mocked Jon when I met him for filing every electronics manual and oh how it has come in so handy) and tried everything they suggested to resolve it. Still broken.

We called Whirlpool and they couldn't get someone out until Wednesday. That is a problem because we need clean clothes for our trip this weekend and after Dooce's experience with Whirlpool technicians, we were scared. Instead we called a local repair guy who could be here first thing Monday morning and told Jon he would bring the most likely parts since he has fixed this problem on our model many times.

Monday morning, the repair guy came and fixed it in 15 minutes. We bought this dryer when we moved into the house, and with all the other electrical stuff that's broken in our house I wanted more info about this problem. The repair guy showed me the broken heating element and told me Whirlpool downsized this particular part during a redesign and it makes it more likely to break. He said, "You've had this dryer about 5 years right? That's what I usually see." I said, "No, we've had it about 3.5 years, that's weird."

When I relayed the story to Jon.... light bulb moment... repair guy said this part would last 5 years, ours only lasted 3.5 years, why would ours break earlier? Oh yeah! We did an insane amount of laundry in those 3.5 years.

Shakes fist in air... TWINS!

(Cross-posted to HDYDI today.)