Our First Graduation

The twins graduated from baby sign language! Granted they didn't have to do anything, but hey, I'm still a very proud mommy! The only downside to baby sign language is the babies progress is determined by how good the parent is. Ahhh, one more thing to remember to do. It's bath time babies............what is the sign again (the babies probably have better retention then I do!)?

So far I consistently do the signs for more, milk, please, food, all done...........and well that's about all we do consistently. Every now and then I throw in bath, thank you, cup, ball, (diaper) change............and a few others I can't seem to remember right now. This week we learned some very useful signs.........No, Stop, Wait, share. Oh I can't wait until they understand these ones!!!!! The best part of baby sign language is that once you have paid for the class once you can keep repeating it!!!! No, I don't want my children to continually repeat the class, but it does give us an added social medium to participate in.

After class, Kara and I took our twins down to Lynn Ary Park and for a walk on the coastal trail. The babies seemed to enjoy the sun and we were humored by the odd comments we received.

Later that night I attempted to take the babies to their cousin's baseball game. It was a pitiful attempt considering I have a link to his game schedule directly to the right. For some reason I thought the game was at the Abbott O' Rabbit fields and walked all the way up there (it's about 3 miles round trip) only to discover Gabe's game was actually taking place at another field. Sorry Gabe, next time I'll talk to your dad in advance!!!!!

The Blanket Fiasco

When we were camping something very important was left behind! As usual I was rushing around trying to pack up and remember everything. Staying true to form I once again forgot something VERY important- Patrick's beloved blanket. It had been snuggled in bed with him and still remains nestled in the sheets. Patrick has become even more attached to his blanket lately. He used to just sleep with it, however, recently he has begun to drag it around the floor as he crawls from toy to toy. The first night we were I home I madly searched the truck and all of our things desperately hoping it would turn up. My search was in vain. Patrick spent half an hour wailing inconsolably before he finally gave in to sleep. Hopefully we will go camping soon and Patrick will once again go to sleep peacefully!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Retiring the original Baby Proof Suits

The wonderful thing about baby clothes is they are rarely worn. Babies typically grow so quickly that clothes are only worn a few times before they are outgrown. While this is great for the purchase of second hand items we have found an exception to the general rule of thumb. We have some clothes that are so thread bare and worn the only place fit for them is the garbage! Cassidy has worn these 3-6 month outfits since January, and they are not being retired due to their small size. I'm embarrassed to admit she still fits in them perfectly. The suits happen to be so tattered it looks like we dress our daughter in rags! The knees are worn through, both feet in each outfit have holes, and they are badly stained from nightly use. Thanks to Mima we have a new crop of suits with sewn socks! Goodbye rags, you have served us well over the past five months!

Camping

We survived our first big camping trip with our little darlings. Monday through 3:23PM on Thursday I spent planning our trip and thinking about what we'd need. I made two trips to the store....Costco and Fred Meyer of course, did a million loads of laundry, and tried to think of everything I'd need in every inconceivable situation should it occur. My husband came home from work Thursday afternoon intent on hitting the road at the earliest possible moment.........I on the other hand was more concerned with remembering things. Men (forgive my generalization) don't seem to grasp the concept of what it takes to prepare for a trip. They think camping.........let's load up and go. On the other hand there is me planning out food for four days, packing clothes for five people, diapers, formula, baby food, the vacuum (no dirt for my babies!), lots of Clorox wipes, and mountains of toys and blankets.......last but not least BOB had to come with us too!

So Thursday afternoon my husband walked in the door prepared to leave (I stay home all day with the babies shouldn't I have the camper cleaned and packed, the truck loaded and all of us ready to go)? Yeah right.......I'm not superwomen by any stretch of imagination! Feeling rushed and frazzled I haphazardly threw what I thought might be everything we needed into the truck and jumped in the car. What important item did I forget? It seems like no matter how much planning I put into a trip I ALWAYS forget the most important thing........this time it happened to be the formula. Thank goodness for Fred Meyer in Soldotna!

(As a side note I enjoy giving my husband a hard time........I love you honey! Thanks for finding my posts humorous:)

Our weekend in Homer was fun! The guys went fishing, Payton, the twins, and I spent lots of quality time together, and we all enjoyed camping! I'm slightly embarrassed to admit I resorted to bribery with Payton...........in exchange for helping me with the babies he could get a souvenir at the end of our trip. Payton was an exceptional helper and without him the trip wouldn't have been nearly as enjoyable.

Top 10 Camping Memories (in no particular order):

10. Bringing our vacuum camping

9. Family walks with BOB

8. Patrick jumping on Cassidy's head at bed time

7. Aunt Jenna's running commentary on the inequalities in marriage (and how sick she was)

6. Payton & my rummy game

5. Uncle Jimmy vacuuming his camper so the babies could come over and play

4. The exersaucer that was a lifesaver!

3. How great the babies were in the car (four hours down and five hours back!)

2. Gabe's wood chopping lessons & Steve's chopping block

1. The suits Mima made for Cassidy (without them she would be VERY scratched up!)

Standing!

Patrick stood unassisted for the first time today. I brought him into bed to snuggle this morning and all of a sudden he stood straight up!!! Of course I was unable to have him repeat the incredible feat when the camera was handy. Hopefully soon we'll have a good standing shot!!!

Who Has Their First Tooth??????

Saturday night Patrick woke up screaming at 1am. Too tired to rock him back to sleep I took him back to bed with me. He tossed and turned the rest of the night, not sleeping much at all. In the morning I checked his gums, convinced that he had finally gotten his first tooth. No such luck. Cassidy slept through the night without making a peep. We had to take Steve to the airport this morning (he flew out to NY) and wanting to make the most of our outing I stopped by Courtney and Keegan's for a visit. We decided to take all the kids on a walk to the playground. At the playground the babies had a snack and what a surprise I found when I stuck a puff in Cassidy's mouth. Something was sharp in there! There really isn't a tooth to be seen but you can feel the tip of her very first bottom tooth. It's now official; Cassidy won the teething race!

Garage Sale Madness

This weekend we were officially inducted into the Kempton Hills neighborhood.. The Kempton Hills Garage sale is the biggest neighborhood garage sale of the year (I'd venture to say in the state of Alaska). I've never seen anything like it in my life! There are port-a-potties set up, policemen hired to patrol the event, no parking signs everywhere, and thousands of cars lining all available spaces. Most people have not only their own things but many other people's as well. Our house had an assortment of baby clothes and toys the twins have outgrown, my in-laws things, my brother-in-law's stuff, and my mother set up her very own section of the driveway with her garage sale stuff. At one point we had 30 people in our driveway alone!!!!! Steve was pleased that for once we made money at a garage sale. Since I was working there wasn't much time for me to purchase!

Impetigo

Let me start with a disclaimer: I BATHE MY CHILDREN!!!!! They are NOT disheveled, mangy, unkempt kids. Wednesday morning I noticed Patrick had developed red dots on his stomach. Directly after changing his diaper, I changed Cassidy and inspected her recent eczema break out. Her legs definitely looked red and broken out, but I could also see red dots. Questioning the coincidence that both of my children had red dots on their precious bodies I decided to investigate further; I called my mother-in-law. Doctor Judy told me it sounded like measles and to call the doctor. If she told me to call the doctor I figured Steve would have to cut his ultra hypochondriac of a wife some slack. The nurse told me to come in immediately and I had an appointment 40 minutes later (it is no easy feat to get two children dressed, fed, in the car, and to the doctor in 40 minutes!) Once seen, the doctor proclaimed them diseased (see darling husband, I don't overreact all the time!) with a diagnosis of Impetigo. Impetigo is extremely contagious and while I have always thought it cute when the babies play together in the bath......that happens to be how Patrick got his rash (I use the same washcloth to scrub them both down). Cassidy got an infection from her eczema that caused the Impetigo (and in turn passed it on to Patrick). She is much worse than Patrick and her impetigo has progressed into something I can't pronounce. The babies both have to use a topical ointment three times a day for a week and Cassidy needs oral medication in addition to the ointment three times a day for a week. She then needs to be reinspected by the doctor in a week and hopefully will be pronounced healthy! Ahh the joys of being a twin.......

More Adventures with BOB

Patrick had a fever of 102 today and threw up once. I wanted to attribute his crankiness to teething......but then the fever came on.

Cassidy's hand missed the table while she was trying to pull herself up and bam......nose dive into the table quickly followed by gushing blood.

This evening our house was not full of happy joyful baby sounds.........scream upon endless scream tormented me (in the babies defense they were NOT happy). It came to the point where I was going to put them both down for a late nap, shut the nursery door, and go downstairs and turn the music up as loud as possible. Then the thought dawned on me.............BOB loves the babies and the babies love BOB. I'd take them on a walk! I made a mad dash for jackets and a blanket and quickly strapped my blood curdling screaming darlings into their seats. I started walking away from the house, and the further we walked, the quieter the crying became until the babies started babbling to each other. I aimlessly wondered away from the house.........the babies were quiet and so long as they were quiet we were going to keep on walking.

Nine Months!

Nine month excitement! This last month has been packed with more important firsts. The twins discovered stairs this month. It seems like one day the stairs didn't exist and the next they transformed into a favorite toy. Patrick led the way conquering the laundry room step and quickly mastered the entire staircase! Cassidy was a little behind Patrick in the stair climbing phenomenon and just climbed her first flight of stairs this evening (5/15). Standing is something else the babies added to their impressive list of firsts. Patrick once again led the pack and after his first taste of standing began to pull up on everything. He is extremely efficient at getting to everything he desires within possible reach and loves to play with toys on the fireplace hearth. Cassidy was a few weeks behind Patrick on standing and pulling up on things.......she first began to pull her body up and sit on her knees. Just this week she has mastered pulling up to her feet and standing. They are both extremely fast crawlers! If they decide to get to something watch out! Patrick has a more consistent speed while Cassidy has normal and turbo speed. If she is crawling along and suddenly sees something exciting poof she's gone. Is this an early indicator of a future sprinter? We sure can't wait to find out! Patrick crawls to what he wants and then sits to play with his new find. Cassidy plays on her stomach or sits on her knees but doesn't go from crawling to sitting as of yet. We enjoyed more finger foods this month, started baby sign language, and began going on lots of walks outside with BOB. It's amazing to think of all the exciting adventures that await us next month!

Nine month weights:
Patrick 20lbs 4 oz (50%)
Cassidy 15lbs 14 oz (5%)

Mother's Day Delight

Today I finally realized what mother's day is all about. Once you become a mother your children's needs (and many wants) become more important than anything you previously would have prioritized. In prior years my mother received a thoughtful card and gift, but I never understood what she would have wanted most-to spend time with her children. Today, for me, was a day of reflection. My children are wonderful, incredible, the best creations on the planet (to me) and even though today is supposed to be about appreciating the mothers.........I spent all day thinking about how lucky I was to be my children's mother. My children are the most precious gift that will ever be bestowed upon me and I am eternally grateful that I am their mother. Thank you my little darlings for choosing me as your mother; it is truly a privilege to have the opportunity to raise you.

Insanity Vs. Stress

I've come to find the greatest challenge of being a stay at home mom is the balance between getting out of the house and the stress of having too many things to do. Where is the tipping point? I'm sure every mother has their own limits; for me the more outings the better my mood is......and a happy mommy makes much happier babies. Monday we had lunch with my friend Tammy and then spent the afternoon with Mima and Papa. Tuesday we bought BOB with Daddy (the highlight of the week...make that the year!), went to the double cuddles twins group at providence, and then met Courtney and Keegan at the zoo. Wednesday we did baby sign language, and then took BOB (and all three kids) to Hilltop for a jog/bike ride (this is an entire story in and of itself), we went to hockey, and came home quite tired! Thursday we went over to visit Courtney and Keegan in the morning, Aunt Jenna stopped by to say hello, and we had a play date with Kara and twins in the afternoon, and then had hockey. And what fun do we have planned for today???? In the morning we went jogging with BOB, and we're going to take a walk and have a play date with our twin neighbors Nathan and Ryan. Before Payton gets home we're going to make a Costco run (the shopping carts there have room for TWO babies!!!) If it doesn't rain, when Payton gets home from school we're going to venture over to the neighborhood school and play on the playground! It is so nice to have warm weather, friends with babies, and so many things to do!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Sitting around the house just isn't my cup of tea!!!
Cassidy put herself in jail.........she crawled on in and had no idea how to get out!
All five kids playing.......Bentley better watch out, the twins are gaining on him!!!Patrick LOVES to be naked:)Cass isn't quite done with her dinner

Mother Goose

The twins great grandmother (Baba) has always been an avid reader. When she was a little girl she was read the classic Volland edition of Mother Goose by her mother, she in turn read it to her boys. When I was a baby she sent a copy of the book to my mother to read to us and just last week the twins received their very own Mother Goose. The book is out of print now so it was a very special present! It is amazing to think that this is the fourth generation in the family to be read the same book!


I'm still working on a picture of all of us reading...........crawling babies aren't fans of posing for pictures right before bed. As soon as there is a decent shot I'll update this post!!!

Mima & Papa are Home!!!

Mima and Papa arrived home late last night!!! We had a family BBQ to celebrate their return! It is wonderful to have them back in Anchorage!!! The entire family can't wait to spend more time with them.........we all missed them so much!!!

Garage Sale Treasures

This weekend was the first neighborhood garage sale of the season. The babies went to play with grandma and I had the pleasure of hunting for deals solo. The most notable treasures discovered were the wooden activity cube and red rocking car. My grandmother taught me at an early age the delight of bargains and even Steve was impressed with this weekends loot.

The Zoo

The zoo was lots of fun! We purchased a family pass today and plan on making many trips to visit the animals. One of the great things about having a pass is that grandparents can use it to take the kids to the zoo as well! Kara and I pushed the babies around and Bentley tried to avoid being run over! All five kideroos
Bentley looking at the polar bears
Patrick & Cassidy playing afterwards:)

Play Date

Yesterday morning we ventured over to Courtney's house. Lucky for the two of us our children wake up between 6:30 and 7. We decided to make the most of it with a pajama party. Cassidy was delighted with Keegan.........she crawled after him from room to room and let him climb all over her without protest. Where was Patrick during this fun? He found himself a John Deere!