Salsa Verde and Back to School. . .

The tomatillos are really coming in, these did better than we expected.  The hubbs is very excited, one of his favorite places to eat has a very good salsa verde and he has been wanting to make some himself for a long time.   Last night we made salsa verde.  My job in the salsa business is operating the pesky blender and making sure everything blends smoothly.  I have never eaten a tomatillo before, they have a consistency of an apple and are tart like a granny smith apple.   I think that is what makes the salsa verde so different and delicious.  It did not take that long to make either.  I will share my hubbs recipe with you later.  We almost have enough tomatoes to make traditional salsa too, I believe I am going to have a busy week.  Sprat is getting ready for orientation at the new school later this month.  He has his class schedule and had to get a new book bag.  His old book bag, "Lil' Bean" that he carried all through middle school and high school.  He named it "Lil' Bean" because it was an LL Bean bag.  That was the best bag ever and lasted through middle school to complete his freshman year of college.   That is a testament to the quality of their products, and no I am not being paid for these words.  Honest mom opinion because, this kid could break and tear up everything.   The reason we had to get a new one was the zippers broke.  His Lil' Bean was not their top of line bag either, you know I am too frugal for that, especially with Sprat the Distructo kid.   He went with a Swiss Gear bag this time, it has room for his laptop and seems really sturdy, it is also good for traveling by air with said lap top.   I will let you know how it fares with Distructo the kid. 
Big T is getting his supplies ready for school, he starts back the first of August.  Big T's school gives their kids a back pack with their lap tops they are given at the first of every year.  He already has his schedule and will be on the Community College campus this year for a couple of classes.  Up to now he had been taking his college classes online.  He will be taking classes in his career pathway this year and that is going to be a little more challenging.
I am afraid both boys are going to have challenging years this year, Sprat adjusting to a new school and new lacrosse teammates and coach and Big T adjusting to be on a college type campus and doing more work and harder classes. 
Stay tuned as our house is tuned upside down. . .

Salsa Verde:

1 1/2 lbs tomatillos
1 med onion
4 cloves garlic
3 jalapeno peppers ( 2 cored and seeded)
1 bunch of cilantro
1 lime zest and juice

Broil your tomatillos in the oven with the peppers and garlic, Broil for about 6-8 minutes, tomatillos should be brown on top.
Set your tomatillos aside to cool, slice your one pepper with seeds in, core and seed the other two and slice, peel your garlic and chop your cilantro.

After everything is fairly cool, scoop some tomatillos in your blender alone with some of each of your peppers, cilantro, garlic, and onion, zest your lime and add some juice and then blend till smooth.  I do this in batches so that it is all blended smoothly.  Once everything is blended add a pinch of salt to taste and chill,

Enjoy!!

Whirl Wind Weekend. . . Weddings, Family, and Lots of Lacrosse. . .

The hubbs nephew got married and the hubbs and I went to the wedding and Sprat took Big T to his lacrosse tournament.  Sprat played Lax Dad on Saturday, keeping up with a cooler, advil, and snacks for Big T and himself.  So proud of Sprat for stepping up and looking after his brother and encouraging him through some pain and loss over three games and a thunderstorm.  The hubbs and I had a good time at the Wedding festivities.  Big T played three games on Saturday and two games on Sunday, the hubbs and I got to see him play on Sunday. I do love watching my boys play lacrosse, they play with their whole heart.  No matter what team they are playing on.  Big T played on a travel team this weekend, they have practiced two times before this weekend and yet they played well together.  They played against teams that have been together for years and beat them.  This group of boys were well coached.  I wish this team could stay together but unfortunately they all go to different schools.  It was an exciting afternoon at the Lax tournament. 
Sprat also had games on Sunday, so  I got to see both the boys play this weekend.  I hope when Sprat starts school and gets started in his new season of lacrosse at college we will get to see him play there too.  Here are some highlights from the weekend:

Big T in the middle with the clear!!

Sprat in the middle, black helmet, blocking the shot!!

It was an exciting weekend all the way around!!  Lax on !!!!

Garden Veggies and a Recipe. . . .

Our garden is coming along and I have learned a few things:  1. we cannot grow Brussels sprouts in the Summer, 2. cauliflower needs shade, and 3. I love cucumbers.  I am sad our pod people did not grow, we will try them again in the fall.  I do not think we will try cauliflower again, it seems futile.  On the upside my herb garden is doing wonderfully, I have dried lots of oregano, basil and sage.  Mark dug our potatoes and onions and we have them stored.  We have our first zucchini and I made an amazing pasta with it the other night, I will share that recipe at the end of this post.  I do believe the hubbs and I could live out of our garden, the boys on the other hand, require meat and other stuff. They are broadening their pallets though, with some veggies.  Our cucumbers are coming in like crazy, cannot wait to do some pickles with my very own fresh dill.  There is just nothing better than fresh veggies and herbs. 
Update on Sprat, we got to meet the girlfriend this week.  She came for a visit and Sprat took her on the sweet tea tour of our little area.  She is from the Boston area and this was her first trip to the South.  Sprat took her to all of his stomping grounds and local watering holes.  She went to Church with them ( I was working) yesterday and then to watch adult lacrosse Summer league.  She had not seen Sprat play lacrosse at school since his season was cut short with the school closing. 

Here is my Zucchini recipe:

2-3 zucchini sliced thin
1 box angel hair pasta
2 cloves garlic pressed
2 onions sliced
4 Basil leaves torn
3 stems of lemon thyme
olive oil
white wine

Saute garlic and onions in olive oil and then set aside,  add sliced zucchini to the oil and saute until tender add a little wine and continue cooking.  Add back the garlic and onions that you set aside and simmer then add Basil and Thyme with another splash of white wine and cover to simmer a little longer.  Boil your pasta and when it is done throw it in  with your Zucchini another dash of wine and cover on low. 
You can add mushrooms, peppers and pea pods if you would like.  I did not have those on hand the other night.
Serve with some fresh grated Parmesan cheese. 

Car Shopping . . . but no car payments. . . .

I absolutely detest shopping for a car.  The last two vehicles we purchased were from a car rental company that sells their cars after they are no longer renting them.  Very pleased with our purchases from a quality and a cost standpoint.  You guys know how much I love Dave Ramsey and these vehicles fall into the DR category. 
Sprat is going to need a car this next year at school, Big T gets his car in August. Sprat's new school is a little further out of the city than that first school and the new school allows sophomores to have cars on campus. No, he does not get to pick out what he wants, he will take what we pick out and be happy.  We are now shopping reliable used cars and I have gone back to the rental place.  I have been hawking this website and the lot since it is close to us.  They used to carry a lot of the vehicle I am looking for for Sprat and now they do not have any from this manufacturer. I  am a little bummed and so I have ventured out to the local car lots.  Big mistake, car lots are awful, they want to sell you more car than you want or can afford.  In my case they are trying to sell me more than I want to afford.  I have a dollar amount I am going to spend and I am not going over that for any reason.  I am sticking to my DR plan.  I am not borrowing money to buy this car, we did not borrow to buy the other two and I am not going to for this one either.  Whewww!! It feels good too say that, I will not go into debt for this. 
I will share a little secret too, I am having a little mid - life crisis around this car shopping.  I have found a car that I want and again I have been hawking car websites and such looking for the best deal.  I have had to put that on the back burner till we can get Sprat something to drive but I am still shopping for me.  This will put my mid - life crisis on hold for just a bit because I will not go into debt for my mid-life crisis.  NO more debt for this family!!
Stay tuned for my car shopping adventure.

Where Do I Begin???. . . .

Just when you think you have it all together, your kids grow up and prove you know absolutely nothing.  Parenting teenage almost adult boys is not for the faint of heart.  When you think you know them, they show you that you do not know them at all.  Those sweet little angels that you loved and snuggled and loved watching sleep and loved how they smelled.  Ahhh the memories and tears I shed over those little boys and they have no clue how much a mother loves a child.
We spend 16 + years encouraging our kids to grow and be independent, giving them everything they need to do that and then when they go and do it you are no where near prepared.  I was told by my almost 20 year old child, that he was an adult and could do things on his own.  He thinks that because he came and went as he pleased while at college that he can do that in MY house.  Ha Ha Ha Ha !!! This is very hard for your children to understand, they want to flex their adult muscles and they want to be that independent adult so bad.  What these new adults do not realize is all of the responsibility that comes with being an adult.  They still want to sleep in till 1100 and have their food prepared for them.  They want to have their laundry done and car and gas provided to them at no charge of course.
We are always proud that our kids have grown up and excited when they start a new chapter in their lives but when it comes to that chapter where they are suppose to be on their own it is difficult to deal with especially when they still live at home.  They do not show that in those gushy commercials on TV about having children.  They do not show the angry teenager storm out of the house and say, "you don't trust me and you don't want me to grow up."   I bet if they did it would make parents think twice about teaching all this independence.  Nahh, I am just kidding, it would  not have changed anything for me.  I do love that my kids are independent, and that is what we want but they really should teach us parents how to cope with all this independence.  Boys are very different from girls too, I think girls will always need their moms but boys on the other hand they do not want to be seen as "needing" anyone.  ughh the trials of motherhood.
It has taken me a week to write this, every time I read it, I think it sound whiny and needy.  I just want to convey the pains of motherhood in raising teenage and soon to be adult boys. 

Such sweet little angels 

Big T doing what he loves most.  I love this picture, his grin. 

Sprat also doing what he loves most.  

My Boy is Home. . .

My Boston boy is home!!!  I am one happy mama.  We have so much to catch up on, the new school he will be attending next year, classes, new girlfriend (his word not mine), and all the great things he got to do while in Boston this past year.
He got home yesterday afternoon and he spent about an hour with us unloading ALL of this laundry and then he and Big T were off to see all of his buddies that were at home.  They went to the local watering hole to announce to all of his other friends that he had arrived home from school.  I spent hours on end worrying about how these two boys would get along once the hubbs and I were gone, it does my heart good to know that their relationship has grown this last year through snap chat, texting, and Instagram. I guess I am glad for social media.
The boy is now looking for a job.  This should be a fun adventure.  He does have experience in food service now thanks to his college experience.  Part of his responsibility with the lacrosse team was to work at various Boston College sporting events in the concession stands, all of the money went to the lacrosse program.   He did not earn any money but he earned job experience.
We went to breakfast this morning and were able to catch up  little bit and then the boys went for a movie with their dad for some male bonding.
The hubbs and I have worked in the garden and I have more oregano drying along with some Sage and Basil.  The herb garden is coming along and my garlic even looks good.

Doctors and D Poles. . .

Update on my many doctors' appointments, this is part of my self care routine.  I have neglected myself for the last 14 years while keeping up with the kids and the house.  I got a good report on my pap and my routine physical, got a good report on my Cologuard test so no colonoscopy for this girl.  Yesterday I had a visit with a doctor about my migraines.  He is an OB/Gyn but has personal experience with women with what I call menstrual migraines, those migraine like headaches that happen after your cycle that migraine medicine does not seem to help.  Mine are bad and have been for some time but, these last few years they seem to have gotten worse.  I had a nice visit with this doctor and funny thing his wife has gone through this same thing and here I thought I was all alone.  It was nice to talk with someone that you knew understood what you were saying.  I came away from that visit feeling like I may be on a path to remedy.  We have a plan and a follow up in 3 months to see how it helps. 
Big T had his last lacrosse game he played well and I am happy and sad to see the season end.  They played a really good team last night and several of the kids Big T had played against and with when he played Summer league.  It was funny to see him talking with his friends on the other team. This teams coach had also coached him in Summer league so that was kinda funny too.  Big T has decided to play with Sprats' wooden D pole.  To play with a wooden D pole is a lot different than playing with the light weight aluminum, titanium, or scandium.  The wooden D pole is heavier and packs a punch when you hit someone with it.  Sprat abused the offense when he played with his D pole but Sprat was a little bigger than Big T is.  Sprat had no trouble wielding that D pole, he broke four poles last year over kids bodies.  It was fun watching Big T play with his brothers' pole last night.  He had several good hits and stopped several shots on goal. I was a little worried about how he would do with the heavier pole but he did great. I did not get to see him play on Tuesday night but he used it then too.   We did not get the W but it was great watching him play. 

The Boy is Home for Spring Break. . .

It is so hard to believe that I have one finishing his first year of college thirteen hours away and one finishing his sophomore year of high school.  I am too young for this.  Look at this sweet face below, I just loved those chunky cheeks and that big ole smile.  Sprat was a very happy little boy and seems to be a very happy young man.  I was so happy to see him when he got off that plane, you would not have believed he had only been gone a few short weeks.  It seems like a year since I last saw him, all those gushy mom feelings came flooding over me. 

Is this not the sweetest face ever???

I got a few hours with him last night and then he was off making his rounds to see his buddies that were also home on break.  He even took Big T with him to make the rounds.  I got to hear all about Boston and his possible new school.  Lots of things pending right now so I do not want to share anything until we are 100% sure but things are looking great for this guy.  We are very excited for him, lots of changes and great new opportunities opening up for him.  It is very true that when God closes one door or college in this case, he opens another better door and guides you through.  This has been a wonderful teaching moment and learning experience for us all.   It would be very easy to be bitter and ugly about all of this and it has had Sprat down a little bit but I keep pointing out that God took him there for a reason and we need to embrace this as what it is, a wonderful opportunity for him to continue his education. 

Stay tuned as we figure all of this out and sort through the mire that is College transfer. . . 

Lax Season is Upon Us. . . .

So sad that Sprat will not have a Spring lacrosse season this year but, Big T's lacrosse season is in full swing with three games this week.  The first one was a bad loss, the other team was very good and had been playing together for several years.  Big T's team has not been playing together more than a few weeks.  The second game also a loss but they fought hard, they stayed close through half time and unfortunately lost in the second half.  Big T was so excited when he came home, I had to work that night so I did not get to see the game.  He was bursting with excitement when he came through the door that night.  I love seeing him that excited and beaming with confidence.  I have not seen him this way since last lax season.  Looking forward to watching him play this year.
Sprat is getting ready to come home for Spring break, I cannot wait to see him.  He said they got a lot of snow this past week.  For a kid that did not want to go to school where it snowed a lot and was very cold he sure has enjoyed his time in Boston and is looking forward to and hoping to go back in the Spring.  He cannot wait to watch his little brother play lacrosse while he is home on break. 
Big T is getting ready to go to his first Prom.  We have the tux and his date has her dress now we have to get flowers and the hubbs and I will be chauffeur since Big T has no drivers license. 
Stay tuned for lots of Prom and Lax pictures. . .

Home Safe and Sound. .. ..

The hubbs and Sprat made it home safe and sound yesterday.  So glad to have the boy home for a few weeks, of course I may not be saying that in a few weeks.  You know how teenagers are, as you can see from the picture below he has already assumed the teenager position.   The brown lump behind his knees would be the B and she has also assumed her position.  

Speaking of the B, she was very excited to see her daddy and her boy come home.  She felt she had not seen them for years and she acted that way too.  She jumped and fussed and barked and wagged her tail like you would not believe when they came in the house.  

I have a secret to tell but you cannot share, if the word gets out I may never get to see this sight again.  So if you promise not to tell I will share what I saw.  It was almost like being in the wild when two rival species meet that usually fight to the death and you wonder what will happen.  I was brought to tears when I saw my two boys hug each other.  No, they were not trying to choke each other out as I would have thought had this happened over the Summer. They were truly happy to see each  other, in fact Big T has already enlisted his big brother advice on how to set up a prom posal for his "girlfriend" for the Spring.  Shhhhh!! I was not suppose to hear about that either.  I love hearing them talk with each other in a nice manner and not fussing and yelling at each other.  To all the Moms that are in that sibling rivalry phase, there is hope and there is light at the end of that tunnel and it does not appear to be a locomotive.  This Mama is going to enjoy Christmas having all the fellas at home together.  I am blessed beyond what I deserve and I am truly thankful for all of our blessings even the mouth one, the B. 

Decorations. . . .

In record time I have my tree up and lights on, no decorations just yet but those will be coming this week.  The hubbs and I enjoyed a breakfast date and then came home to decorate the outside of the house this past Friday.  With Sprat coming home for a long Christmas break, the hubbs wanted to  have everything just right.  So much to be thankful for this year, so many blessings on our home and family.  I will post another picture of the tree all decorated later.  

Work has been a little crazy with folks sick and family illness so I have been working a lot more than usual.  Very thankful for the extra hours especially at this time of year.  Sprat will be home in a couple of weeks and I cannot wait.  Prayers for all of those facing finals these next weeks, that is such a stressful time.  

Happy Thanksgiving . . . .

So happy to have my Sprat home, if only for a few days.  Thanks to a minor snafu by Mom Sprat also enjoyed his first plane ride via a first class flight home from Boston, while the hubbs flew coach. It felt good seeing the boys talking and picking with each other.  I guess absence does make the heart grow fonder.  There was minimal arguing and fighting these last few days.  We had a whirl wind Thanksgiving visiting everyone but it was so good to see family and friends.  It seems as though we blinked and now we are getting ready to send this big guy back to school.  Good news though, he will be home for a longer Christmas break. 

We got to hear all about how cold it is in Boston already and how it is dark by four o'clock. I do not think he is ready for the real winter he is going to experience, he has only had a taste of cold.  He does have lots of winter clothes and a big coat and boots to wear but he is going to experience Winter like he has never had before. 

 He has gathered with his friends to visit and catch up on what everyone has been doing and he had a list of places he wanted to eat that they do not have in Boston.  First meeting with all his buddies was Bojangles and then he wanted to eat at Salsaritas with all of us.  The boys went to Thanksgiving Eve Love Feast, that was also a must on Sprat's list of things he had to do while he was home. He took a picture of his Thanksgiving plate to show his teammates what a southern Thanksgiving looks like.  He  is the only true Southerner at this school so they all love to hear him talk especially the young ladies.  The hubbs had to stop on the way home from the airport to pick up Cook Out with some sweet tea.  He has asked on numerous occasions to send him some sweet tea via the mail.  I told him we could not do that.  It is funny the things that we get use to and that we miss when we do not have it.  He seems to be having fun and doing lots of cool stuff, Mom just hopes he is studying in between all of the fun.  Mama feeling blessed and very thankful for this visit with my boy. 

Below is one picture I was able to snap over this break, I hope I will get a couple more during Christmas. 

College Prep continues. . .

Sorry for the gap in posts; work has been busy and so has getting Sprat ready to go off to College.  I had no idea there was so much paperwork involved in this college thing.  I do not think there was this much paperwork in buying our first house and signing for our first mortgage.  Every day there is a new email with more things to do and sign that we have read. 
I must admit, I have felt a little overwhelmed these last few weeks trying to prepare for this send off.  I am so afraid I am going to forget something that he might need for school and there is just not a Walmart or even a drug store on every corner in Boston. 
In the midst of all of my own worry and fretting my very sweet Sprat brought me this book this morning.  It is a photo album that he and one of his girl friends put together for me.  It is some of his baby pictures and it is the sweetest, thoughtful gesture I think he has ever made.  I was blown away.   Big ugly tears today as I think about him leaving home for the Big City.  Today, I feel like I may have done some things right, today I feel very blessed and a little sad that I did a good job raising this one.  He is going to go off on his own and make his own way in this big old world. 
You know we talk about this when they are young, but I am here to tell you that nothing has prepared me for this.  You want them to go off and be successful but nothing prepares you on how to deal with them being so good at this going off part.  My heart is full of love, pride, and sadness today as I think I only have four weeks left with this very sweet kid that I have spent the last eighteen years preparing for this very thing.
Stay tuned for the drama to come . . . .

Time Capsule Opening. . . Drum Roll ^*^*^*^*^*^*

I told you we had a lot of celebrating to do for this Grad.  We celebrated yesterday to my Mom's and Sprat opened his time capsule that we sealed on his first birthday.  Lots of treasures were  found some worth a little dough and some just  very sentimental.  I think Sprat got a kick out of opening it and seeing everything we had put in it.  I know we all had fun watching him.  There were pieces of history enclosed with lots of pictures.  He had a C3PO pez dispenser still in its original packaging, pictures of the hubbs Dad from his service years and patches from his time on the police force.  Mint uncirculated coins from his year of birth, some Joe Camel advertisements from relatives that worked at RJR,  metal toy tractor from my hubbys youth, the cork from our bottle of Champagne from our "romantic" meal we had in the hospital right after we had Sprat, and all the cards from his first birthday and his infant Baptism.  So many memories. . .

Poppy enjoying the cake and festivities . . 

Getting ready to open the time capsule. . . 

Taking in all of the fun. . . 

I do not give a lot of parenting advice but this is and was a very cool idea and I am so glad we did it.  I highly recommend doing one for your little one if you have one.   Stay tuned, we have one more party before Sprat goes off to school. . . 

It Just Got Real!!!!

Things just got real!  We just celebrated Senior night for lacrosse, and I just realized I have a a senior.  Really???   Are we sure, because I really believe he is only a freshman, sophomore or maybe a junior.  He cannot really be a senior, can he?  I see a lot of ugly crying in my future, you know the kind I am talking about.  I am talking UGLY crying. 
We got the cap and gown, I sent the announcements and we are preparing for Summer orientation at my dear Sprats College of choice.  Now here comes the monkey wrench.  My son loves the game of lacrosse and I wish he had found it sooner.   He has spent last year and this year falling in love with this sport.  He eats, breathes, and lives for this sport and being the Mom that I am I tried to help him find a way to be able to play lacrosse in college.  His college of choice does not have a men's lacrosse team so, I created a profile  for my son on "berecruited " to see if any colleges would be interested.  To my surprise he has had a lot of interest and a couple that sent email and one that called.  The unfortunate part of this all is that the one that is most interested is located in Boston, we are in NC.  This school is small and does offer his program of choice which is unusual because not many schools do offer it. 
Sprat has applied to this school, he has talked with the coach and we will probably go for a visit sometime in the near future.  This school does not offer athletic scholarships but it does offer academic scholarships and we are waiting to hear about all of that.  When all of this came out about me setting up the "berecruited" profile for Sprat, Big T said, "Mom you have to set one up for me, I want to go to Maryland and play lacrosse."  And there ya go. . . Big T has been playing lacrosse for three years now and he also loves the sport as much as his big brother.  Whole lot of changes coming down the road for our house.  Stay tuned, oh and do not forget the UGLY crying too. . .

Lacrosse Begins. . . LAX On. . .

This is going to be a very exciting season of lacrosse, my boys will be playing on the same team.  They have never played on the same team before for anything.   They are both D poles and are playing varsity lacrosse at their high school.  We had our first scrimmage Saturday, and bless Big T he did not  get to go.   Big T woke up sick late Thursday night and missed school on Friday and practice on Friday.  He was a little disheartened to miss the scrimmage but he still did not feel well.  As for Sprat he was wired and ready to go.  They played three games back to back and we had a little rain Saturday too.   They played well in the first game but by the third game they were pretty wiped out.   Sprat had a kid break his stick over his shoulder in that last game. 
I cannot wait to see my boys out on that field together racking heads and blocking shots.  Be ready for lots of pictures this lacrosse season.  Sprat's team is in white jerseys with black shorts.  Sprat is #26  in the first and second picture is clearing the ball to our attack players.  The third picture Sprat is getting ready to try and block a kids shot. As a D pole Sprat cannot cross the white line, unless an offensive player stays back.

Cannot wait to get some pictures with both boys on the field together.  Stay tuned. . .  this may turn into a photo blog for a short period of time. 

New Schedules to Adjust. . .

Took a remake of their picture from Sprat ' s first day of kindergarten.  You have seen these folks that go back and take the same picture after so many years well, this is my attempt at that.  I am not sure how good I did but here ya go.  Took this last night before we went out to eat to celebrate the last day of Summer since the Big T starts back to school today and Sprat will start next week at the community college.  This is going to be one crazy year with so may different schedules to coordinate.  Sprat working a high school and college schedule and Big T working his modified high school schedule.  Throw in mine and the hubbs schedules and this year can only be more interesting.  Ha ha ha ha!!  

Looking at these pictures together you can really see how much these two have grown up and yet how absolutely silly they still are.   They drive me crazy and many days I question whether I am a good mother or not and there are some people that question whether I am a good mother at all.  Looking at these pictures tells me I am a good mom and that my boys are happy, healthy, and grounded in who they are.  I love em to the moon and back, the loves of my life.  

Then August 2005

Kindergarten Sprat (5)/pre school Big T (2)

Now August 2017

Senior Sprat (17)/Freshman Big T (14)

Shopping with the Boys

Shopping with your kids should be considered vigorous aerobic exercise.   I love my boys but I hate having to take both of them shopping for anything.  One on one they are easy and I have no problem shopping.   Together should be outlawed.
Sprat needed a new bathing suit, the boy is growing out of his clothes like crazy.  Everytime I turn around he has grown out of something else.  
I guess Sprat is in that phase of teenager where they don't want to try things  on and if it is not about them, they don't care.  Ughhh, teenagers.   These two crazy boys cannot keep their hands to themselves and must aggravate each other every chance they get. 
I love them dearly but they do make me crazy.