Mele Kalikimaka....NOT!

Looks like we're going to have a white Christmas! The snow started falling late Thursday and has continued. Happy Winter!!

Christmas Wrap?

As far back as I can remember Santa always wrapped my family's Christmas gifts. Christmas morning (well, maybe the first 30 minutes of it!) was spent unwrapping the mounds of gifts that were left under our tree. I remember my Mother trying to control when certain gifts were opened because she wanted to see the expression on our faces as they were opened, but we were always way too fast for her. One year we tried having each person take a turn opening a gift while everyone else watched but that lasted one WHOLE turn because what kid has that kind of patience?
A&O were 10 months old their 1st Christmas and Kevin and I debated whether Santa would wrap the gifts left under the tree. Since the girls were so little and we would probably end up doing the unwrapping, we decided to skip the paper. Besides, we had two large family parties where loads of wrapped gifts were received, unwrapped and hauled home. They weren't missing out on unwrapping!
Last year, A&O's 2nd Christmas, we decided to go really light on the number of gifts Santa brought to our home (we knew from the year before that they would be overwhelmed with gifts from family). Santa went with one big gift (this) and some books and cds. We skipped the wrap again.
So here we are, Christmas 2008. A&O are almost 3 years old and are starting to 'get' the whole Santa thing. I'm feeling as though this year will set the precedence of how Santa does things in our house. The pressure is on. Should Santa wrap the gifts he leaves under the tree? I think I'm leaning toward 'Yes'. Does Santa wrap the gifts he leaves under your tree?

On the first day of Christmas...

I visit Design Mom daily to get a fix of all things cool in a design kind of way. On Friday 12/12 she'll be having a Giveaway Event that you won't want to miss! Check it out. I think you'll be glad you did!

We Love Santa!

This past weekend we went to a holiday party at the zoo where the guest of honor was the big guy himself, Santa (& we remebered to take the camera)!! A special Thank You to Daddy for waiting in the Santa line for 1+hour while the girls and I snacked on treats and hung out in the Gorilla Habitat!

'A' seemed a little unsure here:

Very happy little girls on the post party ride home!

Flu Shots

Yesterday we went to the Pediatrician for the girls' flu shots. Two nurses walked in the room to do the shots at the same time. Apparently the vaccine stings a little once in your arm and both girls started crying.
O: (while crying) "Mommy, why is 'A' crying?"
A: (while crying) "Mommy, why am I crying?"
Very cute.

Up On The Housetop...

The girls have been talking a lot about visiting Santa this year and how now that they are 'big girls' they won't be afraid. So... we ventured out to the mall on Black Friday to see the big fella! Our 20 minute van ride included much talk about what was going to be said to Santa and what special things the girls were going to ask for (M&M's and spinning tops that sing Happy Birthday~ a tiny toy a friend received on her birthday!).

When we got to the mall the parking lot was packed so Kevin dropped us off at the door. He went to find a parking spot while we went in to find Santa. It didn't take us long to find "The North Pole" and there was no line. As soon as we got to the 'Enter' sign O quickly said "Mommy, pick me up!" and I knew we wouldn't be getting any closer to Santa. We turned around and walked to a railing behind the Elf photographer and both girls stared at Santa while he waved to them. We sat on a nearby bench to wait for Daddy and the girls continued to stare. It wasn't long before A&O decided they would like to go talk with Santa. We walked back over (still no line!) and as we approached Santa and his throne the girls both stiffened and would only move if I assured them we would stand far away and they wouldn't have to sit on Santa's lap. Santa was such a kind a gentle man and spoke softly which relaxed them. A&O mentioned the M&M's and the spinning tops that sing Happy Birthday and Santa offered them a coloring book, a lollipop, and a reindeer antler hat which they willingly reached toward Santa to get. They were so happy!

By the time Daddy got to us (he had to park in the ramp on the opposite end of the mall) the girls were so excited that they decided they wanted to sit on Santa's lap. Sooooo, we walked back over (still no line!) and walked right up to Santa. O blurts out "A goes first!" so I lifted A up and then I lifted O up and they sat on Santa's lap. They looked so darn cute!! Kevin and I were so amazed that we didn't even think of having a photo taken. We were so proud of them and they were so proud of themselves!

Since I don't have a photo of the girls with Santa and blogs are boring without photos, you get this shot of Kevin 'up on the housetop' this past summer doing some paint work!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

"Daddy" ran in the local Turkey Trot this morning and we were there to cheer him on. We'll be off to visit my long time, best friend ever and her family this afternoon (after naps!) and then to my parents' to stuff ourselves silly.

Enjoy your day!

Napping!

What Mother doesn't love naptime and dreads the thought of her child/children outgrowing it? A couple of people have already asked if my girls still nap and, when I say "yes", ask at what age I think they'll stop. I'm shooting for 4.5 years old or older. I may jinx myself and my setup with this post, but I think I've got a great thing going.

Naptime in our house has always involved loving arms, a swing, a papasan chair, or a stroller. Some say I'm crazy but it has guaranteed me two babies napping at the same time and a bit of time for myself. Once the girls turned 6 months old we would put them in their carseats and stroller (Baby Trend Snap'n Go) and walk them around the first floor of our house until they fell asleep for nap. 20 minutes of walking (good exercise for me) and they would be out. Around 18 months we transitioned to a full recline double stroller and shortly after purchased a double jogging stroller that fully reclines and has full leg support. We are still using the jogging stroller and it generally takes a max of 4 minutes of walking before both girls are out cold. It really is great and they LOVE naptime. Just today I actually used Nap as a bribe "we're not getting into the nap stroller until you finish all of your milk!" (milk was gone within 30 seconds). Other bonuses: if one or the other stirs before naptime is over I just stroll for a minute or two and they usually go right back to sleep; if they have a cold I can increase the incline of the seat for easier breathing and better sleeping; we can take the 'nap stroller' on vacation and it works its charm just like at home. The belts are fastened for safety but are at their loosest so each girl can turn on her side to sleep if she cares to. And... despite what I've read, napping in the stroller does not effect the girls' ability to comfort themselves to sleep in their beds at night.

As Dr. Phil would say "How's that working for you?"

I would say "Perfectly!"

Gratitude

I received this link in an e-mail today and wanted to pass it on. Check it out:
http://www.gratitudecampaign.org/shortmovie.php

Fall is here

It was gorgeous here in the NE last week with sunny 70 degree days (very rare for November). We tried to make the most of it and had some fun on the front lawn where the leaves had fallen.

The winds of change have started to blow and I have the feeling the snow will be flying (and sticking!) soon.

Halloween pumpkin picking with a little fright!

This past weekend we headed out of the city to a farm about an hour away to pick out the perfect Halloween pumpkins. It was a beautiful Indian Summer day: sunny and temps right around 70. First we went on a hayride and saw turkeys growing big and fat (100% naturally!) for Thanksgiving, fields of pumpkins and corn stalks, and maple trees storing up sugar for their season. We then picked out a wagon and found 3 BIG pumpkins that were just right for our Halloween carving. And in between all of this the girls went in and out of a big round metal building/shed that was painted like a pumpkin (the girls called it their "pumpkin house"). We all had a great time!

When it was time to leave I took the filled wagon to the van to unload while Kevin took the girls to the "pumpkin house" one last time. I opened the front door of the van, threw in my camera, bag, keys, drinks, etc. and then put the pumpkins in the back. By the time I finished unloading, my crew got to the van, Kevin left to return the wagon, and the girls started playing with the buttons on the front door. I quickly shut the front door, got "A" buckled into her carseat, shut her door and carried "O" to the other side to buckle her in. But... when I pulled the door handle it was LOCKED. I frantically tried all other doors but they were ALL LOCKED... with "A" inside, buckled into her carseat and the keys on the front seat. I thought I was going to be sick. I called to Kevin who ran back and rechecked all of the doors and closed windows while "O" and I played peek-a-boo with "A" to keep her smiling. Kevin ran back to see if anyone at the farm could help. Fortunately a man who lived .5 mile down the road had a towing business and within 5 minutes he was there with tools working to open the door. It took about 5 minutes for him to unlock the door. Although "A" was probably only locked in for a total of 15 minutes, it felt like an hour. She was a real trooper and was calm until the last 3 minutes or so, at which point she started crying and looking at me with pleading eyes and begging "get me out". Once the lock released I whipped the door open, unbuckled the carseat and hugged my little babe so tightly. I don't ever want this to happen again!

Thankfully, we were parked in the shade. Thankfully, I took "A's" sweatshirt off right before I put her in the van. If it had been a hot day I would have broken a window to get her out right away~ I was ready to do that anyway if it took much longer to unlock the door. Thankfully "A" was okay.

After we (I) calmed down we headed to a little pizza place where we had a relaxing and fun dinner and then drove home singing Peter Peter Pumpkin Eater. And now we don't have to explain how Peter fit his wife into a pumpkin shell~ "A & O" have been in one, too!

A choo choo! (well sort of...)

For quite a while the girls have had a fascination with trains. We have been known to park in a local store parking lot to wait for the train to pass just for the excitement of it all. We have plans to take the girls on day trip to an historic train for a memorable holiday ride, but that won't happen for another couple of months. So... today Kevin planned an afternoon excursion on a train of sorts: our city's subway! We drove to the nearest station and rode the 'train' downtown where we then went out for dinner. Afterward, we rode the 'train' back to our car and headed home. The girls LOVED it! They started out in our laps but then decided they had to sit by themselves. Such big girls!!

Summer is flying by!

Okay...when I started doing this I thought I would post at least a little something everyday. Where did the 8 days since my last post go?!?

Summer, and time in general, seems to be flying by. Luckily we've done quite a few things as a family over the past 2 months so I don't think I'll feel like we wasted great weather days by doing nothing.

This morning we went to the zoo (our zoo membership has been terrific and we visit about 3 times a month) and had fun watching the giraffes, rhinoceroses, sea lions, reindeer, lorikeets, swans and water fowl, gorillas, lions, merry-go-round, and riding on the train. We also spent time hovering over man hole covers and looking down drain grates (not sure of their real name!) on the ground. The girls walked quite a bit so I suspect they will take a long nap this afternoon!

Yesterday we went to a local beach so A & O could play in the sand and walk along the water. We arrived before the beach officially opened so there weren't many people which was good. The girls walked back and forth from our towels to the water filling up sand buckets with water and dumping them on the sand so Mommy could build a sand castle ("same like Olivia the pig!"). We watched as the lifeguards got out their gear and set up for the day. It was an early morning for both girls, so everyone was ready to head back home after about an hour. Short trip, but fun.

The past 3 weeks the girls and I were attending toddler/parent camp at the local Waldorf school. It was the first exposure A & O had to a structured group situation (well, as structured as Waldorf philosophy allows!) and we enjoyed it. We also learned a lot. Who knew A & O could drink from a glass? And they were glass glasses! Goodbye sippy cups, hello more cupboard space! We have several new songs we sing, a great, easy everyday bread recipe, and a new play dough recipe that is easier than our old one. It was such a good experience we'll be signing up for the Fall program!

We've also visited the Art Gallery, the local Naval & Military Park, an amusement park and one of the Marinas. Mixed in there have been play dates, birthday parties, playground time, long walks with Daddy and lots of time playing in our own backyard.

I didn't intend for this to be a recap of the summer, or to sound like summer is over. I guess with the end of July comes all of the back-to-school sales and it just feels like the end of summer is near. I still plan on packing in all the outdoor fun we can manage before the first snowflakes fly! Hopefully I'll look into how to post photos for my next entry.

And even before that...

My sister Nancy is a teacher in a nearby school and had a conference to attend in a small resort town about 5 hours away. The group coordinating the conference distibuted a list of other locals attending in case people wanted to arrange a car pool. As a result, my sister received a call from a woman she didn't know named Jodi and they drove the 5 hours to and the 5 hours back from the conference. Along the way they happened to get on the topic of family and found common ground in the fact that they both had a single relative, in their thirties, who (they felt) needed to be fixed up with someone. By the time they returned home telephone numbers (mine and his!) were exchanged and a plan for a Fix Up was made.
After having been on 2 other blind dates that did NOT go well, I was not very receptive to the idea. Beside the whole dreaded Blind Date thing, this guy had a 5 year old child and that, in my book, qualified as way too much 'luggage' to get involved with.
Fast forward a year. I still had not met anyone, but I did meet Jodi (1/2 of the Fix Up team) when I was at her school for my work. Apparently before I had even made it out of the school she was on the phone calling my sister to say "they would be perfect together". Within a week I received my first call from Kevin and we made plans to get together.
A little over 8 years later, I remember almost every minute of that day including shopping for something to wear, getting ready, not liking what I was wearing (silk shirt that smelled like fish after I washed it!), borrowing a shirt from a neighbor (thanks Mary Claire), and waiting for the buzzer to buzz to finally meet the man I would eventually marry. The date was GREAT. We went to dinner at a super little restaurant called Mother's (does the name of my blog make more sense now?!?) and talked from 8 til midnight. After he dropped me off I could hardly sleep. I REALLY liked him and hoped more than I had ever hoped for anything that I would see him again. The next day he called and we have been together ever since.
Funny thing too... that "luggage" I wanted to avoid helped me see a very important side of Kevin only minutes after meeting him: getting into his very clean car I noticed there were little princess toys sitting on the back seat where his daughter usually sat. Most guys I know would have tucked those toys away in the trunk in a situation like that, but not Kevin.
Thank you Nancy and Jodi (my sister-in-law)!

PS: I got tears in my eyes remembering/writing this and thinking how lucky I am to have my Kevin. I think I'm really going to enjoy this whole blogging thing!

The Beginning

I've been wanting to start a blog for some time but kept putting it off because I didn't know what to write my first post about. Should it be funny, personal, opinionated, educational, or what? After I write it, should I tell my family and friends about it so they can read it, or will it just be my little online diary that blog browsing strangers might find and read occasionally?
After putting way too much thought into starting, but not actually thinking of anything to start with, I decided that today, July 17, would be the day to begin. July 17 holds special significance to me because it was 3 years ago today that I took a pregnancy test and it was positive. It was on that day that My World seemed to change. I am now the happiest and proudest Mommy to 2.5 year old twin girls and life couldn't be fuller.
I hope to blog often so I have something to look back on to help me remember these days, since they seem to fly by faster and faster. We'll see how and where it goes!
If you're reading this, Welcome to My Life!