Twinsanity

The Future Class of 2024

2011-08-21T13:10:00.001-07:00

Sunday at "Lazy 5 Ranch"

2011-04-10T17:45:00.000-07:00

The Rules of Lazy 5 Ranch:

Stay inside your car. Only the animals are allowed to walk around. Don't run over the animals. Don't honk your horn or turn on your lights unless you need help. Use only the buckets to feed the animals so you don't lose your fingers. You'll get animal slobber all over your car, plan to wash it later. And, lastly, this notice: All persons entering Lazy 5 Ranch do so at their own risk. Lazy 5 Ranch will not be responsible for any injuries to any individual or for damage to any vehicle.

Better Late Than Never

2011-03-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

"I'm out of touch with all my friends, I'm out of touch, everytime I see them again, I'm out of touch with all my friends, all the days I've been away..." So goes the lyrics to the song, or something like that anyways. Either way, that's me, that's this blog. I've been out of touch. Out of touch with updates, out of touch with posting new pictures. I know I've promised more updates, more stories, more pictures before and I'm long overdue. I think I promised more pictures and more moments on life, twins, and other musings back in the Fall and now it's almost Spring. (Well, better late than never...a few recent pictures below to get us all re-acquainted again).

A Few More Christmas Pictures

2011-01-13T18:05:00.001-08:00

Christmas in New York

2011-01-01T18:38:00.000-08:00

I like Christmas. What’s not to like about eating copious amounts of food while having a few laughs with friends and family? And it is not everyday you get to greet a total stranger and expect to see a smile these days – not to mention a response. But, “Merry Christmas” gets the job done pretty easily.

I also like the festive atmosphere of Christmas. People in general seem far more relaxed, their attitudes a lot more positive. Streets are decorated with lights, shops have Christmas themes and there is a local Santa Claus in a fake white beard everywhere you look handing out balloons and candy to terrified children.

This Christmas, we traveled to New York to spend the holidays with Mike's family. It was a great weekend; and the twins got to see all their cousins, aunts and nephews, their great aunt as well as their Momo and Poppa! Even Tukker, our 5 year old chocolate lab, tagged along for the holidays to New York.

A few pictures from Christmas time in New York follow...and, a few more pictures are still to come!

Christmas Family Pictures

2010-12-09T13:32:00.000-08:00

Getting everyone to smile simultaneously and in the same direction, without tantrums and other kiddie chaos, is tough. Very tough. When I have uncooperative subjects - their names are Paige and Taylor - I resort to bribes - who wants a lollipop after pictures?, who wants a sticker?, who wants ice cream?, etc. or whatever I need to do to try and get smiles on the faces for family portraits - tickling, telling funny/silly jokes, etc. Whatever it takes. Our recent family pictures in front of the Christmas tree lasted for all of 10-15 minutes probably, but we must've said "Cheeeese. Cheeeese. Cheeeese." at least a dozen times for each shot that was taken. Eventually I think we all had the robotic, glazed-eye smile by the time those 15 minutes were up. Each time the self-timer of our digital camera would take a shot, we'd all try to hold a pose, smile, look in the same direction, and of the 20-30+ pictures that we snapped, can you believe it, we got only a few that captured us looking at the camera at the same time, in the same direction, and for the most part smiling too. Everyone tried to look their best for this year's family pictures, but when you throw kids into the mix, well, sometimes the picture-taking gets hairy. Good thing we didn't try to add our puppy into the mix. Trying to get kids AND a puppy to look at the camera at the same time in the same direction, well, it would probably never happen....

Check Your 'Naughty' or 'Nice' Rating This Christmas!

2010-11-30T12:19:00.000-08:00

'Tis the season of the holidays and Christmas and all through the neighborhood, everybody wonders to themselves, "Oh crap, was I good?" Ha, ha. Santa will be visiting all the neighborhoods, delivering presents or not. And, some of us will get Christmas treats from Santa and some of us may get Christmas coal. Who knows, but either way, it's fun to get in the spirit of the "Naughty" or "Nice" theme around the holidays and what better way than a fun t-shirt. I found this little goodie at Target for only $5.00 - I love it, what a fun message for the holidays and at a steal of a price too! So, Santa Claus, if I wasn't good this year, I will be next year...!

Trimming the Christmas Tree

2010-11-30T12:08:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving 2010

2010-11-30T10:40:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving is a time for reflecting on all your blessings from the past year, getting together with your family (yes, even if they are crazy, which whose family isn't?), and of course, eating a big 'ole turkey until you feel stuffed yourself. Many of us have Thanksgiving traditions that revolve around food. Whether it's baking a turkey, making green bean casserole with those crunchy fried onions, or rolling out the best sweet potato casserole (more on that sweet potatoe casserole at our house in a moment), there is often more to Thanksgiving than just a good looking bird with all the fixings.

This year, my mom, dad, older brother and his wife and kids joined us for Thanksgiving. I enjoyed our time together. It was great to have Paige and Taylor's little cousins here with us as well. There were even some Norman Rockwell-esque moments when we sat around the dinner table together as a family...granted that didn't last too too long because after all, Thanksgiving Day was also when the Dallas Cowboys game against the New Orleans Saints played. And, we've got serious Cowboys fans in this family, so dinner ceased when the 'Are You Ready For Some Football?' shout-out rang out over the television airways. And, that was just right too...scattering from the table to the family room to enjoy a game of football together!

With all this reflection upon Thanksgiving this year at our house, I'd be remiss if I didn't take a moment to reflect upon the fact that the holidays can be a tough time of year for many people and families. In fact, the holidays can be far from ideal for those friends and families who have had a death in the family this year, or if someone is in the military serving abroad, and so on. You can't turn those holidays into fantasies, but hopefully, even in spite of the difficult circumstances many are facing this year and during this holiday season, blessings can still be counted and found no matter what the circumstances of life may bring...and, may God bless us all.

Below are a few pictures taken from our Thanksgiving this year. Enjoy!

The night before Thanksgiving, Paige and Taylor play "Thanksgiving" with their stuffed animals.

Left to right: Paige, Courtney, Brandon, Taylor

Momo and Poppa from VA with Paige and Taylor

The 4 of Us - Thanksgiving Day

My Sweet Girls

Aunt Kim with Paige and Taylor

With My Mom and Sister-in-Law Kim

Take One: Sweet Potatoe Casserole - Yes, I Burned the Marshmallow Topping! I've Made This Recipe for Years, And This Is A First. That's What I Get For Talking Too Much, and Forgetting All About What I'm Doing...

Take Two: Sweet Success! Thank Goodness for Do-Overs! And, The 2nd Time Around, I Did Less Talking and More Watching of The Sweet Potatoe Casserole. Ha, ha!

Dinner at The 'Big People' Table for Thanksigiving

The Post-Dinner Crash and Food Coma on the Couch & !!YES!! Some Cowboys Football

Post-Thanksiving Dinner Soccer Matches for The Kids with Mike

Do You Road Trip? We Do, And We Did!

2010-11-07T16:55:00.000-08:00

While most of us are used to winging from coast to coast in a few hours by plane, in my opinion, there's still something romantic and carefree about a cross-country road trip. You get to stop and see the sights along the way, and take the charming byways - rather than the highways - and once in a while you can experience America's small towns and back roads.

Two weeks ago, I made a long - correction, very long - road trip with Paige and Taylor (and their grandma from VA) from the West Coast to the East Coast. On a fine Saturday morning, we loaded up the car and began our departure from California. Six days later, we arrived in Virgnia. It was a vacation. It was a mission. It was an adventure. It was memory-making. It was the first mommy-and-me excursion cross-country with the twins, and I loved every minute of it. Well, almost every minute of it. The days were long, averaging 10-12 hours per day in the car, and by the end of each day, my back was pretty sore as was my moms who occasionally alternated driving with me to allow me a quick nap as we rode along mile after mile.

Some of my friends had given me such a hard time, teasing me, telling me I was crazy to want to travel across the country with toddlers. Maybe so. But we were doing it. And, I'm so glad that we did. We saw so many spectacular sights and attractions along the way, and the drive especially through California, Nevada, Arizona as well as Kentucky and West Virginia were especially beautiful!

And, the girls? Well, they were nothing short of AMAZING travelers! They'd watch movies on their DVD player in the backseat, and when they were not watching movies, we'd all play the "I Spy Something _____" game as we rode along. We'd talk about the large semi-trucks driving down the roads, and would imagine where they were going and what they were delivering. We'd talk about the adventures of our vacation each day - our visit to the Grand Canyon, our tour of the city lights of Vegas at night, our afternoon at a Texas Roadhouse where the girls told me they wanted cowgirl hats, our trek through the St. Louis Riverfront and the tour of the St. Louis Arch and so much more. And, lastly, a backpack filled with small toys, books and puzzles made the trip go more quickly for the kids too. I also purchased some "surprises" to hand out at set places in our trip to give the girls a little something to look forward to as we drove from state to state.

And, while I'd be lying to say that there weren't times when the days were extremely long and tiring, I will always cherish that cross-country road trip with the twins. We travelled more than 3,000 miles over the course of 6 days and we made some pretty fantastic memories along the way! I might even be brave enough (or crazy enough) to want to do it again someday...

P.S. Be sure to check out the slide show above for a few of the pictures taken during our road trip.

A Glimpse At Our Home in North Carolina

2010-09-27T22:11:00.000-07:00

In the next 3 weeks, we'll be moving from California to North Carolina and I thought some of you might be interested in seeing the home that awaits us. It's a **HUGE** home, compared to what we've lived in the past 8 years in California, with more than 2,500 square feet of living space, 3 bedrooms, 2-1/2 baths, formal dining room, upgraded kitchen and more. Plus, get this, we will have a backyard! A REAL BACKYARD for the twins and our dog Tukker - another first for our family. Below are just a few photos that I took while touring the house. Once we're moved in and are living and enjoying the new home, I'll be sure to post more pictures of the home.

Family Room

Kitchen

Formal Dining Room

Front View

Rear View / Backyard

So Long, California. Thanks for the Memories!

2010-09-23T21:30:00.000-07:00

Goodbye!

I'm soon going to be making an exodus out of California, driving across the country to start a new life on the "slightly less crazy coast" as some of my friends like to say.

Some things in this state I know that I will miss. For example, I'm really going to miss In 'n Out Burger and El Pollo Loco. And, from my home, I can either ride my mountain bike or run along the most beautiful trails for miles and miles. My home is also only about an hour-and-a-half drive from Lake Tahoe, San Francisco and Napa Valley Wine Country which are arguably the 3 most extraordinary places to visit in Northern California. I have lived in Sacramento, California for the past 8 years where many of the homes fly our country's flag proudly, where hometown parades and historic traditions of the California "pioneering spirit" still thrive and are celebrated. In Sacramento, there also are not as many of the "lifestyle" parades or the in-your-face politics. In fact, the suburbs of Sacramento, where I live could really be just about anywhere - Oregon, Washington, South Carolina, Texas, Illinois. And, then there's the weather. I will definitely miss the California weather. I will also miss the Sierra Nevadas and the scenic route along Great Highway 1. As I reflect on the last 8 years of living here, I have enjoyed California for many reasons - for the same reasons some of my family and friends love it here.

As I said, some things in this state I'll miss a lot. But, then again, a lot of things in this state, I won't. The crowded conditions from Sacramento to the Mexican border, the Demo-Publican politics and the resultant high taxes, its crumbling infrastructure, environuts, political correctness, sanctuary cities for illegals, poor air quality, dirty beaches, gangs, and rising crime have spoiled it for me after 8 years. Those are reasons enough for me to be excited about my exodus from California.

Looking ahead, I'm thankful for my years in California, but my upcoming move to North Carolina with its clean air, clean beaches, lower taxes, wide open (and smooth) freeways, plus getting twice the house at a quarter of the cost in North Carolina where wages will go farther...well...what can I say, these are the reasons that make leaving California easy for me! And then there's the North Carolina-style (vinegar based) BBQ and real *sweet* tea. Enough said.

Happy Birthday To Momo...

2010-05-22T23:02:00.000-07:00

Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you,

Happy birthday dear Momo, happy birthday to you!!!!

Happy birthday, Momo, we love you so much. Thanks for being such an awesome grandma to Paige and Taylor, and for raising a great son too. Hope you have a wonderful day filled with many memories and much love.

A Few Random Pictures from Our VA Vacation

2010-05-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

A Weekend in Monterey - Part I

2010-05-12T13:04:00.000-07:00

A Weekend in Monterey - Part II

2010-05-11T19:37:00.000-07:00

Just Beachy - More Fun At The Beach

2010-03-27T21:33:00.000-07:00

Puppy Love

2010-03-25T21:35:00.001-07:00

Dog parks are awesome in California! This week, I took our dog Tukker to exercise and play off-leash at a nearby dog park. Tukker is as much a part of our family as Paige and Taylor - heck she's like a 3rd child really - but too often, Tukker plays second fiddle to the twins.

Now, call me crazy, but I gotta' tell you I REALLY LOVED taking Tukker to the dog park - just she and I - while the twins were at preschool. For the first time in a long time, I watched Tukker enjoy a little canine companionship and play. I watched her lounge out in the puppy pools, splash in the mud puddles, run through the sprinklers and I loved every moment of it! Tukker even met 2 other puppies that day, believe it or not, named Tukker too!

The look of a tired, content puppy after much play and splashing in the pools!

What can I say...Tukker loves water!

The 3 Tukkers - Yes, all 3 of us, complete strangers, discovered that each of our dogs were named Tukker. Every time one of us would call our dog, all 3 would come running! It was very cute. We decided to get a picture of the 3 Tukkers together at their puppy play-date at the park.

Bragabout Friday

2010-03-20T21:38:00.000-07:00

Bragabout Friday. It's all about boasting about my kids, which actually is what I pretty much do here every time I have a post, and I certainly don't reserve my bragging to just Fridays. Even so, in the blogging community, Fridays are commonly designated as 'Bragabout Friday' so in the spirit, I offer the following post.

Paige and Taylor spent an afternoon not too long ago creating their very first hydropower renewable energy science kit. Their daddy is well-acquainted with hydropower as an energy source since his work is dedicated to exploring the power of water as well as the generation of hydroelectric power. Naturally, it was the perfect project for daddy and daughters to work on together!

Taylor familiarizes herself with the tubing while Paige sorts the small and large frames for the hydropower station.

Paige and Taylor compete over who gets to manage the tubing for the project. And, seriously, they could have cared less about the lessons of how water can travel through a system of connections using these tubes, also known as communicating vessels.

The struggle over the tubing continues...

Meanwhile, daddy is focused on the construction of the water wheel with generator.

Nearing completion, Taylor joins daddy to watch how their water wheel might generate electricity.

Mission accomplished! The first hydropower renewable energy science kit at our home is done. And, while the twins may not understand why or how the water wheel can drive small machines, exploiting the flow of water to create usable energy, they sure had a good time tinkering around with all its parts and pieces and creating something new and special with their daddy!

California Republican Party Convention - WooHoo!!!

2010-03-13T16:20:00.000-08:00

It's going to be a great year for California! 2010! This year, our family is determined to help out with the momentum that is growing in our state to support a slate of great Republican candidates. With that mission in mind, we traveled to Santa Clara today to attend the Republican Party National Convention. Some awesome leadership from the Republican party were present, along with the many political hopefuls for public office this Fall including Former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, Publisher of BigHollywood.com and BigGovernment.com Andrew Breitbart, Gubernatorial candidates Steve Poizner and Meg Whitman, U.S. Senate candidates Tom Campbell, Carly Fiorina, and Chuck De Vore and candidate for Secretary of State Damon Dunn.

Meeting Carly Fiorina, Senator Barbara Boxer's soon-to-be successor.

The twins enjoyed walking around the exhibit hall, collecting giveaways, stickers, candy, and more!

Paige showing off her many stickers, who cared about the candidates, just get those stickers.

Taylor was in charge of the attendee bag and the more stuff she could fit in the bag, the better!

Taking a break to enjoy a photo opp with my daughters at their very first Republican Party Convention.

Ta-Da, here we are!

I attended a ticketed event, a breakfast/worshop seminar this morning featuring guest speakers Andrew Breitbart (left at podium) and CA US Congressman Darrell Issa (far right).

Meeting Andrew Breitbart, publisher of BigHollywood.com / BigGovernment.com, whistleblower on ACORN and big government corruption in general. He rocks! I'm a big fan!

A Day At The Zoo

2010-03-01T21:31:00.000-08:00

Celebration Chinese New Year 2010

2010-02-27T18:18:00.000-08:00

Wordless Wednesday

2010-02-24T18:22:00.000-08:00

Mommy's Trying to Get Some "Pre-Kids" Game Back

2010-02-23T19:44:00.000-08:00

After 4 years of virtually no golfing, this mommy is starting to get some of her golf game back! That's right, this week, I pulled out my golf clubs for the first time in quite some time, and Mike and I took to the driving range after putting the twins into our neighborhood's hourly kids' play center. Upon further reflection, it's actually funny, but there are so many interests/areas/hobbies in my life that I can clearly define in terms of "pre-kids" and "after-kids", and my golfing is one that definitely fits nicely into just such categories. There was a time - "pre-kids" - when Mike and I would go golfing together on average once a week, sometimes more. Then, pregnancy and the early years of tending to twin infants quickly pushed many of mommy's hobbies and interests to the back burner for the better part of 4 years. And, golf was one of those to move to the back burner.

Well, slowly but surely, I am beginning to rediscover some of my former interests. And, discovering them with my husband again, which is a wondeful thing as well! Oh, sure, those interests and hobbies will still be tempered by the needs and priorities of Paige and Taylor (those will always come first) but now that the twins are 4 years old, and far less needy of my direct and ever-present involvement, I am slowly starting to pursue those things which were part of my "pre-kids" life. Here are just a couple of the pictures taken while we were at the driving range this week:

What A Way to Spend A Monday

2010-02-22T15:14:00.001-08:00

Sunny. 65 degrees. Two great kids. All the time in the world to play and have fun. Not a bad way to spend a Monday...

Visting with Momo & Poppa from New York

2010-02-20T10:10:00.000-08:00

Spending time with grandparents who come to visit can be rewarding for kids, and grandparents hopefully have a blast too! I know we had a blast having Mike's folks visit us last week. Now, let's face it, our parents (both Mike's folks and my folks) really come to see our little ones, not Mike and me. Ha, ha, ha. And, Mike and I think that nurturing the special relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren is important, so we decided to really encourage their time together, without mom and dad around, by taking a 48-hour hiatus to Oregon on the latter part of the grandparents' stay. It was a wonderful getaway for Mike and me, and it was a chance for Paige and Taylor to spend one-on-one time with their grandparents! Their aunt Karin also came to stay for the couple of days Mike and I were travelling, and that too, is always a good time for Paige and Taylor. It was like a special "Grandparents, Aunts and Kids Day" while mommy and daddy were away...

Outings with the grandparents are certainly special, educational, and provide invaluable memories. We traveled into San Francisco for dinner one evening, we toured a wonderful children's museum in San Francisco, we enjoyed ice cream at Ben & Jerry's in the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco, we traveled to Amador County to explore some wide, open spaces (oh, okay, and to do some wine tastings), and the grandparents took Paige and Taylor to the zoo one day too which is always a real treat for Paige and Taylor! Even our cookout one night in the backyard became a moment to celebrate the special relationships between generations of family. The memories to last a lifetime! I have posted a series of photos below highlighting our past week...enjoy!

Visiting with Momo & Poppa from New York - An Afternoon in Amador County

2010-02-19T22:44:00.001-08:00

Visiting with Momo & Poppa from New York - San Francisco

2010-02-19T21:56:00.000-08:00

We spent our day enjoying some sights and tastes of San Francisco with Momo & Poppa:

We then spent our first night visiting with Momo and Poppa in San Francisco at our favorite family-style restaurant - Buca di Bepo! A few photos from the night, most of the pictures taken well before the wine was flowing generously...

Virginia Trip - "The Blizzard of 2010" Leaves Us Snowed In

2010-02-08T19:36:00.000-08:00

A glimpse at the snowfall outside our hotel where we were stranded for 48 hours.

Paige enjoying the snowpocalypse of 2010 in Virginia!

Paige (L) and Taylor (R) stomping and romping in the snow.

On our snowy walk in the Blizzard of 2010 in Virginia.

Stranded at the hotel meant breakfast, lunch, and dinner happened at the same restaurant. After 48 hours of being snowed in, we were all ready for a new venue and menu for our meals.

Virginia Trip - Slumber Parties at Momo and Poppa's House

2010-02-08T19:28:00.000-08:00

There were slumber parties every night at Momo and Poppa's house with cousin Courtney. It was so cute to have the three little cousins together for a week watching them play and interact. All 3 of the girls are roughly the same age, with Courtney being just 4 days older than Paige and Taylor. All 3 of the girls were born preemies and faced many difficult months in the NICU immediately after they were born. Today, it's such a miracle to see all 3 of them so happy and thriving!

L to R: Paige, Taylor, Courtney playing princess dress-up.

Bedtime stories at Momo and Poppa's house.

It's just not a slumber party if there aren't lots of Barbies!

After much partying, then came the slumbering, at long last.

L to R: Paige, Taylor, Courtney

Virginia Trip - Visiting the Llamas Farm

2010-02-08T19:07:00.000-08:00

Feeding the llamas carrots.

Momo feeding carrots to the llamas with Taylor and Courtney.

No lie. Llama farmers (shown above) are crazy. Just sayin'...they're crazy!

These llamas were twins, so naturally they liked us!

Taylor grabs a handful of crackers to feed the llamas.

Momo playing among the llamas with Paige and Courtney.

Twin toddlers. Twin llamas.

I didn't expect to have to backhand a llama, but this white one was very aggressive towards Paige.

L to R: Paige, Taylor, Courtney. On the ride home from the llama farm...everybody was sacked out in the backseat.

Virginia Trip - Good Times With Family

2010-02-08T19:00:00.000-08:00

Virginia Trip - Good Times With Old Friends

2010-02-08T18:41:00.000-08:00

My trip to Virginia afforded me a few opportunities to catch up with some great friends from the past. Some friends from as far back as middle- and high-school...

Hillary and I together again after more than 5 years.

My girls! L to R: Alisa, Jill, Brandy, Me.

Dinner with Mike and Indy and their beautiful new baby.

Hanging out with my BFF Reeba from back in the day. What a fun night!

Fun with Magic Markers

2010-01-25T18:03:00.000-08:00

Our Day in the Sun, After Many Days of Rain

2010-01-24T19:30:00.000-08:00

After more than a week of non-stop rain in Northern California, the rain and clouds broke just long enough to give the twins and I a couple of hours in the sun on Saturday afternoon. Paige, Taylor and I piled into the car, loaded up our bikes, and took to one of the nearby lakes in our community. The afternoon was spent biking and hiking. Oh, and we also got chased by geese!

Paige takes her bike off-roading.

We walk softly, and carry a big stick.

Yelling "hi" and waving at the man rowing.

Taking a break from biking to do a little hiking among the boulders.

Paige takes off towards the geese, she knows she's got the advantage on the bike.

Shhhhh, very quiet now, do you see these geese?

A cruise along the water's edge and a flock of Canadian geese to complete our outdoorsy experience.

This goose was NY-city style aggressive. It was relentless, fearless and wouldn't stop chasing us.

I think that's some kind of a warning sign when it spreads and fans out its wings at you...

It eventually came over and started to chase Paige on her bike.

After our bike ride, we run around the paths along the water's edge.

What a great day biking and hiking - let's hug!

And, let's blow kisses!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-20T16:29:00.000-08:00

Ummmm....when did Paige learn to walk so well in those heels of mine?

Community Helpers & Letter "N"

2010-01-19T13:41:00.000-08:00

Today, Paige and Taylor's preschool class spent time talking about community helpers, specifically those community helpers that began with the letter "N". Naturally, I just HAD TO POST a couple of their sweet pieces of artwork from preschool because the twins have a nurse in the family - their Aunt Nancy!

Snow, Snow, Snow and More Snow

2010-01-16T20:07:00.001-08:00

1st Week of Preschool

2010-01-07T20:13:00.001-08:00

Going to preschool. It's like a big rite of passage. And, the twins started that rite of passage this week. It was such an exciting week for Paige and Taylor - going to school, meeting their teachers, making some new friends. Amazingly enough, they also had none of the first-day jitters you often hear about when children start preschool for the first time. The big school building, the new faces and voices, the classrooms - it was just one, great adventure for them!

I also was expecting to get reports back from the teachers at the end of the first and second days that the girls were missing each other. Mike and I had decided to place Paige and Taylor in separate classrooms to help encourage their individuality and to have their own time and space to interact outside of their twinship. Paige and Taylor are very close because of their special twin relationship. Mike and I always encourage that unique bond and would never do anything to sever that relationship. Their relationship as twins provides a really important support system to each other. However, at the same time, we also want the girls to have an opportunity to explore and develop their own social and academic growth. We want Paige and Taylor to blossom as individuals while still respecting their special closeness as twins. I thought it might be a rough transition this first week, but as it turns out, it was not. The reports from both of their teachers was that the girls did great, didn't ask for their sister, and took right to the activities, projects and the other children! What a great week!

Still at home, Paige is so excited for her first day of preschool.

Taylor and Paige were little chatterboxes the morning of their 1st day of preschool.

I spent about 5 minutes in the classroom at the start of the morning, just to be sure all would be well with Paige before I left the classroom. Here's one quick picture I took of Paige during free-play right before I left.

I also spent about 5 minutes in Taylor's classroom on the first day of preschool. Here's one picture I took of Taylor as she was placing her name tag on the "Look Who's In School Today" attendance chart.

Taylor during free-play in her classroom.

When I came to pick Paige and Taylor up from school, I was met with two happy, bubbly girls who came running to me and gave me the best hug I'd had in a long time from them. My heart was shooting stars as I saw them and picked them up and as they spent the next several minutes telling me all about their new school. It was a great week!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-06T17:08:00.000-08:00

Ready, set, go...

Happy New Year's: OH-nine!!!

2010-01-03T20:15:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year! May our year, as well as yours, be filled with success, fulfillment, happiness and health.

Our family sharing a hearty cheers together at dinner!

Goodbye to 2009, hello 2010!

New Year's Eve in San Francisco - Fireworks, Countdowns to 2010

2010-01-03T20:02:00.000-08:00

Photo Montage from Our Oregon Vacation

2010-01-03T19:43:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas

2009-12-29T22:41:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas! We did. It was a lovely holiday. We did a little something different this year. We traveled to Oregon to visit some old friends. We certainly missed seeing our extended families this Christmas, but did at least have the opportunity to call everyone on Christmas morning from our hotel room in Oregon.

Christmas, and all holidays for that matter, are so different now with children. It's like every emotion, every experience is magnified in its own wonderful way! Everything seems so much more enjoyable, meaningful and special now that we share it with kids!

Paige and Taylor were so sweet and cute to watch this Christmas. They loved every minute of their Christmas in their hotel room (from setting out snacks on Christmas Eve for Santa, sleeping together in a big bed in their very own hotel room (apart from dear ol' mom and dad's room), to waking up Christmas Day to discover that Santa had followed them all the way from California to Oregon just to make sure that they would have plenty of presents to open)!

The twins were thrilled with all their gifts! Thank you to all of our family who gave so many wonderful things to Paige and Taylor this year. And, of course, I'd be remiss if I didn't also say a BIG THANK YOU to the family for all the presents given to Paige and Taylor's mom and dad too!!!

Mommy & Me Day

2009-12-23T17:06:00.001-08:00

It is December 23rd and our Christmas shopping is all done, the hustle and bustle to get ready for Christmas is done and now it's time to just enjoy the Christmas season. As a treat, Mike gave all 3 of "his girls" a gift certificate for lunch to "Cheesecake Factory" today. Having little girls is so much fun and the older that they get, the more I enjoy them and their company. Today, they were absolute angels at the restaurant, and I even noticed that they copied me when I put my napkin on my lap before the meal (it was the first time I observed them to do that all on their own and without any prompting from me; and let me tell you, that moment of good table manners from the twins made mommy so very proud.) It was truly a delightful day and I couldn't have asked for better company at "Cheesecake Factory" than my 2 beautiful daughters...

A fun mommy-and-me lunch in the city.

We also grabbed a little cheesecake to go for the Christmas holidays!

Day Trip to San Francisco

2009-12-19T22:16:00.000-08:00

We drove to San Francisco today, a city we probably only visit once or twice a year even though it's nearly a stone's throw away. In fact, if my memory serves me correctly, I think the last time we were in the city was in September when the twins' grandparents and great aunt were visiting from the East Coast. We went to San Francisco today to show the twins the "big city Christmas lights" because we'd already toured the lights of our town earlier in the week. San Francisco's Neiman Marcus and Macy's were both pretty spectacular with their displays of holiday lights, Christmas trees and wreaths. We also spent part of our afternoon at Fisherman's Wharf and Pier 39. A fun day, however, it was cold....even though I thought we'd all dressed warm enough, by the end of the day we were freezing!!! Highlights of the day: Crazy windy afternoon in San Francisco, clam chowder soup in a sourdough bread bowl, spotting my favorite street performer at Fisherman's Wharf, and the twins running around the boardwalk at Pier 39.

Love this guy! Every time I've been to Fisherman's Wharf, he's always playing in the exact same spot. Of all the street performers I've seen there, he's got major talent, tip-worthy talent!

Mike grabs hold of the girls - a warm welcome hug - at Pier 39 on a cold, windy day.

The twins give mommy a "break" from pushing their stroller.

Swing, swing, swing Taylor...

Swing, swing, swing Paige...

Enjoying the view.

Taylor gets the best view around, from the top of daddy's shoulders.

Enjoying the view.

Merry Christmas from Pier 39!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas...

2009-12-18T21:18:00.000-08:00

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas at our home, and as I sat down to write this post tonight, the song that kept running through my head was the Christmas classic "It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas". Whether you like the version by Meredeth Willson, Perry Como or Johnny Mathis, whenever the song comes on this time of year, if you're like me, you can't help but get in the spirit of the season. I took a few liberties here tonight to tweak some of the original lyrics to fit the photos that I have uploaded and to have just a little fun with a classic holiday tune. So if you've got the tune in your head, well, then you're ready, set, go...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go...

...there's a tree on the grand refrigerator (by Paige)...

...and one on the other refrigerator door as well (by Taylor)...

...Yes, it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas, everywhere you go...

...the prettiest sight to see will be the holly on our own front door...

...Take a look at the windows in the den, glistening once again...

...And string lights all aglow...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

...books that will talk...

...is the hope of Taylor and Paige, and Mom and Dad can hardly wait for school to start again...

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

...soon the bells will start; and the thing that will make them ring is the carol that we sing right within our heart...

Bragabout Friday

2009-12-17T22:22:00.000-08:00

I can't remember the last time I posted a "Bragabout Friday" blog, and since I'm in the mood to do a little bragging on Paige and Taylor tonight, I figured why not. The twins are growing up so fast (right before our very eyes) and somedays I can't believe what truly wonderful little girls they are becoming. Today, we spent some time sitting at the dining room table painting - painting a child-sized porcelain china tea set. I snapped a couple of pictures along the way just to capture the memories of our moments painting together, but what I really enjoyed far more than painting with the twins was just sitting back and observing Paige and Taylor. How they sat side by side, so quietly, in a state of deep concentration as they painted together. How they would gently dip their brush in and out of the various paint colors and then carefully stroke their china tea pot, cups, plates with their brushes. How they focused on their painting and afterwards, how they beamed with pride at their artistic creations. I could go on and on about how simple moments like this can make me marvel at Paige and Taylor, can make me appreciate their little lives so much, can make me so happy to be their mom and can make me just want to brag about them all the time...

Pediatrician Appointment Today

2009-12-17T18:16:00.000-08:00

If the idea of 4 shots to each twin today doesn't sound like a lot of fun, well, you know what...you're right, it's not fun. Although Paige and Taylor are older now, and therefore don't require nearly as many pediatrician appointments as they used to, today happened to be their 4-year old well child visit and wouldn't you know it, for their 4-year old check-up, they each got 4 shots to the arm (completing their next series of immunizations). While the shots are never a pleasant experience, there were some good things that came from today's pediatrician appointment:

- Paige and Taylor are both doing great, no changes in their health or medical history.

- Paige is in the 25th percentile for her height and is in the 3rd percentile for her weight. That's right, she's still a petite little girl, but hey, at least she's on the charts now for her weight and we no longer have to use those customized, preemie, weight-adjusted/chronological age adjusted charts for her! YES!!! Success!!!

- Taylor is also in the 25th percentile for her height and is in the 25th percentile for her weight. Not much of a surprise there really. Taylor has always been the better of the two eaters and with Paige's history of GERD and her history of needing supplements and caloric boosts in her daily diet via her GI doctor's recommendations, the discrepancy between the two girls' weights is just what the pediatrician expected to see today.

So, good news today all the way around. No more immunizations shots until the twins turn 6 years old and both girls are eating, growing, thriving and doing just super!

Baking Christmas Cookies

2009-12-14T20:01:00.000-08:00

No sooner do we celebrate turning 4 years old do we shift our attention to celebrating Christmas and all the fun stuff that comes with it, like baking Christmas cookies! I like to bake desserts - cookies, cakes, brownies, fudge you name it - and having the twins helping bake goodies with me gives a whole new meaning to baking during the holidays. Toddlers definitely have their own ideas about how to bake cookies, and the twins were also quite ambitious about the whole experience - they had their own ideas about rolling the cookie dough like this, placing the cookies on the baking sheet like that, etc. It was pretty hilarious to watch them in action. Perhaps it was those new gingerbread man aprons they now wear that gives them a newfound sense of commanding the kitchen and all the baking activities...well, whatever it may be, the twins were having a great time today as we were making cookies. I commend them for their ambition and their spirit of adventure in baking so many cookies today, but I gotta' say, there is still a little room for improvement in their patience levels when it comes time to watching and waiting for the cookies while they are in the oven.

Down on their knees, watching the cookies as they bake.

See what I mean - the 10 minute cook time for each cookie sheet was really trying their patience.

'Tis The Season

2009-12-13T14:09:00.000-08:00

'Tis the season for holiday parties, cocktails, festive red dresses and black-tie attire. Last night, Mike and I spent the evening at his company's Christmas party. Here are just a couple of the pictures taken before leaving the house for the event...

Happy Birthday To Us...We're the Big 4 Today.

2009-12-11T19:59:00.000-08:00

Snowy Day in the High Sierras

2009-12-11T09:45:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, we loaded up our SUV and headed to the Sierra Mountains. With 4 feet of fresh snow fall this week, the twins, their "Momo" from Virginia and I bundled up in our warmest winter wear and spent the day enjoying a taste of winter at an elevation of 4,000+ feet. There were snow showers, snow ball fights, snow angels and snow eating contests! At the end of the snowy day, the twins were sound asleep by 6:30 PM and didn't wake up until 7:30 AM today. Talk about a fun day that totally wore them out...I can't remember the last time the twins were in bed that early or slept that late.

Side note: Our SUV was fantastic in the snow yesterday as we climbed through the mountains - we even got to use the 4WD at some points in our route!!! By the way, I'm happy that we chose to go yesterday and not today because the Sierras are getting another dumping of fresh snow as I sit here and type this posting, and I wouldn't want to be caught in a snow storm in the Sierra Mountains as it's happening at 4,000 feet...

Playing Nativity with Baby Jesus

2009-12-09T16:20:00.000-08:00

I've been talking alot with the twins about Christmas, now that the season is upon us: how fun it's going to be when Santa brings presents to them for being such good girls all year, how Christmas is a special time to enjoy decorations, lights, candy canes, Christmas trees and last night, how Christmas is also about celebrating Baby Jesus' birthday. Paige and Taylor already know all about Baby Jesus from Bible stories we read together and from their Sunday School lessons each week, but last night, we pulled out the Fisher Price "Little People" Nativity Set and recreated the Christmas story.

Paige and Taylor setting the scene - Baby Jesus in his manger, Joseph and Mary nearby, the wise men, the shepherds and even the stable animals.

After they'd set the manger scene just like they wanted it, we spent a few minutes talking about each of the people who came to see Jesus and to worship him.

The twins really got into the Christmas story as I told them about how the wise men and the shepherds traveled from far away, following the star in the sky, etc. Paige and Taylor even added to our story saying, "Let's sing 'Silent Night' to Baby Jesus" which is something we do when we read one of their stories.

At one point, I asked Taylor who came to see Baby Jesus and she replied, "Lots of angels."

I asked Paige the same question, and she replied, "Dora and Moses." So cute. I got a good laugh out of that one. So did Paige. Sure why not Dora and Moses!!! I replied back with, "You're right, Paige, anybody can come see Jesus, today even Dora can come see Jesus."

San Diego Vacation - Ghiradelli Ice Cream Shop

2009-12-05T18:24:00.001-08:00

Ice cream. What an easy way to make a kid's day, or in this case, both kids' day! On our last day in San Diego, we stopped at Ghiradelli's Ice Cream Shop and the twins enjoyed the largest vanilla and rainbow sprinkles sundae they have ever had!

Paige discovered that dipping a chocolate Ghiradelli square into the ice cream was pretty good too.

I love this picture. Taylor has raised her arm way back, getting ready for the big spoon dive into her ice cream sundae.

I love this picture too. Paige's eyes are closed in this shot as if she's savoring each and every flavorful bite.

San Diego Vacation - Maritime Museum

2009-12-04T12:27:00.000-08:00

While in San Diego, the girls and I visited the Maritime Museum. Mike and several of Mike's friends had recommended this museum to us because it contains many of the world's finest collections of historic ships, including the world's oldest active ship The Star of India. The twins loved exploring the ships and loved looking at the many props, costumes, artifacts and exhibits on board each ship. They tugged on the ropes of the massive sails, they stood atop observation decks, they ran in and out of the vessels' cabins, they climbed the stairs of the many decks, and more.

As fun as the day was at the Maritime Museum, it definitely was NOT one of the best photographic experiences. With so much to explore, climb on, over, in, out and under, it was nearly impossible to keep up with them, squat to their eye-level and then shoot the perfect picture at any given moment. So, I didn't even try to because as usual, the twins were in charge of their own exploration on board these ships. I aimed for a good outcome in each shot, but alas, I had to follow their cues and capture pictures when and where I could. Now, with that little photographic *disclaimer* out there, here are the best of the pictures captured from the day....

After all that climbing, exploring, and trekking all over the ships, we finally were on dry land once again and took a few minutes to sit down and enjoy a much-needed snack to restore our energy we'd all expended from the last couple of hours of in, out, under, over, through the many ships of the museum. Phew!

San Diego Vacation - Poolside Fun

2009-12-03T18:18:00.000-08:00

I just realized that I didn't mention the digs where we are staying this week in San Diego - the Hilton San Diego Bayfront and it is pretty spectacular! (And, not the type of hotel where the twins and I typically get to stay). The location of the hotel, adjacent to the Gaslamp Quarter, places us in the heart of the city of San Diego yet at the same time with its serene views of the San Diego Bay, we also got to enjoy a little taste of the remote coastal experience right from our hotel. Just check out the pool, and you'll know exactly what I mean. The hotel pool is apparently San Diego's largest salt water pool and with its outdoor terrace and breathtaking views of the San Diego Bay and beyond, plus its poolside cabanas for relaxing and lounging, well, it was casual poolside fun at its very BEST! But, aside from the fabulousness of the pool, the twins finally got to spend some time with their daddy!!! Yes, Mike took some time out in the afternoon today to take Paige and Taylor swimming, and it was a lot of fun. The twins loved splashing in the water and I think Mike also enjoyed a little escape from all things stressful with his work this week. As Mike and the twins played in the water, I took advantage of the opportunity to lounge out at the poolside cabanas and soak up a few rays of sunshine!

Okay, can I just say that with the outdoor plasma screen TV (shown above on pool terrace) and the state-of-the-art stereo sound system, this pool will probably put future swimming pools to shame!

Up and over, swimming from pool to pool.

Pushing off from the edge of the pool, and kick, kick, kick.

Mike takes the kids for a swim in the deep end of the pool. And, just look at those views of the San Diego Bay in the background!

Paige gets a taste of the salt water of the pool.

Mike and the girls played in the pool til sunset.

Getting snuggly warm with daddy after swimming.

San Diego Vacation - Really Great! NOT!

2009-12-03T13:12:00.000-08:00

It just occurred to me that one very important detail I may have neglected to mention in the midst of all my San Diego vacation blogging was the fact that Mike is here with us too, although you wouldn't know that based upon the last few updates and postings of photos here on Twinsanity. Technically Mike is "here", but not really "here" with us.

While the twins and I have been sightseeing and enjoying the city, Mike's time has been spent with client events and his days chock full of work meetings. A further note of clarification on this is that Mike's work is what actually brought the twins and I here to San Diego in the first place. And while Mike's schedule this week has prevented him from spending much time with us, I had hopes of stealing him away at some point this week to take in some of the fun of this city with his little girls and me. Well, as it turns out, today, I got my wish...well, sorta'....but, not in the manner I'd hoped.

Our Nissan Pathfinder at Evans Tire & Service Center

Our first opportunity this week to spend time together - all 4 of us - came and went with us at Evans Tire & Service Center. That's right, we spent our morning getting 2 new tires on the back of our Nissan Pathfinder after a blowout on the roads the night before when Mike was out with clients for a client dinner. Fortunately, noone was injured or hurt as a result of the blowout. Unfortunately, the tires cost us a cruel $400.00 today (which was certainly not in our vacation budget this week); and it certainly wasn't how we'd envisioned spending our only chance for family time this entire week. Oh, well, what can you do...isn't that just how life goes somedays...

P.S. The twins were very fussy the entire time too while we were at Evans Tire & Service Center making the day and the experience just oh so much better.

San Diego Vacation - Island of Coronado

2009-12-02T19:33:00.000-08:00

Last year, the Travel Channel rated Coronado Beach as the 5th best beach in America, so since we're in San Diego this week, I decided to hop in our car, leave San Diego and drive to the peninsula where Coronado Beach is located. After all, how could I be so close to one of the top 5 beaches in America and not take the twins there?! So, that's what we did. We spent the day playing on the beach, digging in the sand, hunting for sea shells and getting the cool ocean water in between our toes.

Many thanks goes out to the elderly lady who was taking a stroll on the beach and offered to take this picture of us together, otherwise I wouldn't have a picture to show for the 3 of us spending the day together at this incredible beach.

The temperatures were just warm enough that the twins could take off their shoes and jeans, but just cool enough that the twins could not wear just their swimsuit.

The twins had the whole beach practically all to themselves to explore.

Taylor and Paige, shown above, kept picking up handfuls of sand and would toss them into the ocean water in front of them.

At this moment, a military plane flew overhead. Taylor pauses to look up to see where the awesome sounds of the jet engines were coming from.

Paige digging in the sand.

Now, Taylor's turn to dig in the sand.

Taylor pointing to a boat in the ocean.

Enjoying the vast open space of the beach.

Taylor started to dance on the beach all of a sudden, and it was pretty fun just to watch her lift her hands and turn around in circles.

Making "roads" in the sand.

Paige, arm outstretched, as if she's trying to catch the wind in her hand.

Taylor looking like quite the windblown beach bum.

Paige digging for sea shells.

Paige heading to the water's edge.

I love this picture because it captures the near endless stretch of the beach as well as the fact that the beach was all ours to enjoy for the day.

The twins digging for sea shells together.

Taylor making her way to the water's edge.

In the distant background is a view of the infamous Coronado Island resort and hotel.

A sea gull arrives and spends a few moments with us on the beach before it flies away again.

Near the end of the day at the beach, the girls were literally covered in sand from head to toe!

Check out the sleeves on that shirt - I told Paige that she had "sand hands".

Those "sand hands" helped Paige to do some serious digging in the sand. Although you can't appreciate this shot from this vantage point, Paige is actually sitting down inside a hole that she helped to dig at the beach.

Taylor spent time rolling and flipping backwards into the hole that Paige helped to dig, and she had a blast. Here, Taylor goes into the hole head first and backwards!

Another military jet flies overhead, and Paige and Taylor stop digging long enough to look to the skies as the jet roars above them.

A snapshot of the beach and coastline at Coronado Island.

San Diego Vacation - Pesky Pigeons

2009-12-02T19:19:00.000-08:00

On day 2 of our San Diego vacation, we started the day with breakfast at Starbucks. While you can't make it out in these pictures, we were adjacent to a beautiful inlet of water situated just a few yards behind us. A truly serene setting with breathtaking views. Until...

As I was saying above, a truly lovely setting, until the pesky pigeons came along! Seriously, after waving and shooing away this one pigeon at least 10 times, Paige finally implored me to "JUST STOMP ON IT." I know, hilarious right! I guess that means she's seen me squash one too many bugs/spiders that way, so naturally, she reasoned that pesky pigeons should be dealt with in the same manner. Ha, ha, ha! (But, no, I didn't stomp on that pigeon, just in case you were worried about that.) Ha, ha, ha!

One pesky pigeon who just wouldn't go away....

San Diego Vacation - Our Day at Sea World

2009-12-02T17:58:00.000-08:00

The Sea World experience today was awesome! And, visiting the park off-season as we did today made it totally accessible and very convenient. We never waited in long lines and we always had close views to the exhibits. Sea World put a smile on Paige and Taylor's faces many times throughout the day - from the shamu and dolphin shows to the amusement park rides - making our outing worth every penny! Oh, and speaking of costs, the admission was just $69.00 for me; and Paige and Taylor, since it was off-season and since they were under 4 years old, were admitted for FREE! Love that! I think I enjoyed the Sea World visit as much as the twins did and would go back again with the girls in a heartbeat. Below are just a few of the pictures from our day....

Arriving at the entrance of Sea World

Just inside the park was a beautiful Christmas tree decorated with a plethora of ornaments featuring, what else, fish, sharks, whales and the like.

The penguin exhibit was a favorite for the twins. The girls loved watching the penguins jump in and out of the pools of water.

Paige stands at the glass wall mesmerized by the penguins as they dive in and out of the water.

Paige and Taylor on the lookout for Beluga Whales swimming just beneath the water's surface.

We spent part of the day watching live feeds of seals. Paige and Taylor would yell out with excitement over and over: "look, that seal just caught a fish."

An up-close glimpse of a Beluga Whale rising from the depths of the waters.

These polar bears were playing right in front of the glass wall where Paige, Taylor and I stood. We probably stood watching these two polar bears for at least a half-hour. Again, the twins were just mesmerized by these creatures, and to be this close to such spectacular animals, well, it was simply fantastic!

On the lookout for sharks.

A view of a Beluga Whale who kept doing "tricks" in front of us - spinning around, flipping onto its back, slapping its tail on the water's surface to make big waves.

There had to be at least 10 Beluga Whales in this one tank!

More Beluga Whale watching.

The twins loved watching the sea lions as they were sunbathing.

One of the many aquariums we saw during our visit to Sea World - we really liked this one in particular because of all the rich, vibrant colors of the fish and the surrounding coral.

Another view of one of the many aquariums we saw today. We liked this one because as Paige and Taylor put it, "these fish were really scary looking."

Waiting patiently for the start of the shamu and dolphins show.

The show begins, and as Paige and Taylor watched the tricks and water stunts, the girls would say, "WOW" while clapping their hands as fast as they could! It was so cute, and I loved seeing their faces beam with excitement as the shamu and the dolphins jumped and splashed in and out of the water.

I got really lucky when I snapped this photo. Here, 7 dolphins jump in unison out of the water!

One of the featured "performers" showing us how to walk on water.

Shamu jumps out of the water, Paige and Taylor cheered and clapped for this one big-time! And, again, I got very lucky that I snapped this photo at just the right moment to capture the shamu's tricks!

The shamu and dolphin show puts a big smile on Paige's face.

When she wasn't beaming with a smile, Taylor was quite in awe of the performance by the shamu and the dolphins as shown in this picture.

This photo of Paige is just priceless and it's what made the shamu and the dolphins show a true highlight of our Sea World experience.

The laughter from Taylor during the show was just awesome. I could have taken a ton of pictures just like this one throughout the show!

After we visited all the sea exhibits and shows, we ventured over to the amusement park portion of Sea World to take in a few of the rides. Taylor, shown here, has just finished riding on the "Spinning Seals" tea cup ride.

Paige, shown here, has also just finished riding the "Spinning Seals" teacup ride and gives her shamu stuffed animal a big squeeze!

In line, waiting for another ride. Again, the smiles and laughter today all day long was what made this experience so enjoyable for me. The exhibits were pretty cool, of course, but the joy on my girls' faces made it all the more wonderful!

The Sounds of Christmas

2009-11-28T20:23:00.000-08:00

The twins are really enjoying the Christmas music of the season - they love to dance to it, twirl to it, clap to it, laugh to it! Tonight, when I said to them, "let's dance and I'll take pictures of you", they told me, "we'll wear our princess dresses." So, here are Paige and Taylor enjoying some Christmas music and wearing their princess dresses....

It Is More Blessed To Give Than To Receive

2009-11-25T14:03:00.000-08:00

I think helping 4 year olds understand the lesson of "it is more blessed to give than to receive" is a pretty challenging concept at this stage in life, but still well worth the effort. It's the day before Thanksgiving and the twins and I spent part of our day today en route to and from various organizations in the community making donations for "wish list" items for Thanksgiving Dinners for the hungry and homeless in our city.

Here is a little sampling of how some of our conversations went today as we drove in our car from one destination to another:

Me: "Some families and kids aren't as lucky as you girls this year and some people need extra help and it sure would be nice of us to share some of our warm food with these people today..." and "Some people are very poor and don't have enough money to buy food and snacks to eat..." etc. etc.

Paige: "No way. That's our food. The poor people have to go shopping for their own food."

Taylor: "But, we want to eat that food. No, mommy, no..."

And, that's about how it went today as we chatted about how we can help others and about how Jesus wants us to help people when they don't have as many nice things or as much food as we do. While I fully know that the twins didn't appreciate our giving today to the community, someday as I tell them about this experience in the years to come (when they're older and able to understand the significance of giving vs receiving), I think they'll be glad they helped mommy give to the needy today.

I come from the school of thought where it's never too early to start planting the seeds for tomorrow. I don't know what life will exactly hold for Paige and Taylor, and I also don't know what personal financial blessings that they will gain for themselves through their hard work and efforts, but what I do know is that I want them to learn that whatever they may be blessed with, whatever monetary means they may have, they have a responsibility to give a portion back to those less fortunate. Today, was our first step in sowing those seeds in Paige and Taylor. As the years go by, we can continue to cultivate those seeds and I look forward to watching these early seeds in life bloom and grow...

As I reflect on our day and our efforts to give to those less fortunate than us, I know that I enjoyed this experience waaaaaaaaaay more than the twins did. I enjoyed explaining to the girls what we were doing and why we were doing it. Hopefully, however, as they grow older and in the years ahead, Paige and Taylor will come to appreciate this more and will discover for themselves how it truly is more blessed to give than to receive.

Thanksgiving - Part 1

2009-11-23T15:02:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is upon us - Thanksgiving is now just a couple of days away. As I look around me and the world we live in these days, it seems that everyone is focused on the economy and what difficult times we are in. And, it's true, these are hard times for many people; in fact, we've had some tough times ourselves this year but even in the midst of these tough times, in the midst of the days where I find myself focusing on our own challenges, I'm also trying to have an "attitude of gratitude". It's not always easy but when I set my mind upon all the good in my life, whatever despair or stress I might be feeling soon gives way to peace of mind and happiness!

God knows everything we've been going through this year and that alone is something that I am grateful for. I know that God never leaves us or forsakes us and even when the times get tough I know I can trust His plan for our lives. He's come through for us time and time again in our lives in recent years as a family, and I'm grateful for that.

It sounds strange but just thinking about BEING THANKFUL makes me even more thankful for all the blessings I have in my life this year. It's about what I DO HAVE in life and not about what I DON'T HAVE at THIS moment in my life. I am healthy, my husband is healthy, our daughters are healthy. I have a great husband and two really awesome little girls - they are the loves of my life and the bright spots in life. No matter what kind of day or year or circumstances I face, my family is always a source of joy and love. George Bernard Shaw once wrote "a happy family is but an earlier Heaven" and how true that is. Give me a family that pulls together in tough times, that still finds happiness and joy even when circumstances are stressful and challenging anyday. My family really is like a little taste of Heaven and God's goodness to us right here on earth, and I'm thankful for it!

So, Happy Thanksgiving to all of us, wherever you are and whatever circumstances you may find yourself in. God never promised us that life would be easy, that life would be without stress but with the love of my family, I find that it does make the journey a little easier and the burdens of this life a little lighter to bear. So, this Thanksgiving, I'm counting all my blessings, naming them 1 by 1 because I really do have so much to be thankful for....

Making Our 1st Gingerbread Candy House

2009-11-21T17:07:00.000-08:00

I bought a gingerbread house kit this weekend which included pieces of pre-made gingerbread, pre-packaged icing, candies, and other tasty treats. All we had to do was start icing the gingerbread pieces together, then decorate. It was also a great way to get our girls involved in the start of the holiday festivities of the season! Mike actually put the basic structure together with the various gingerbread pieces and the icing. After the house was "built", the twins jumped right in and had a ball decorating with all the candies. Now, the real question is - do we keep it in the refrigerator and bring it out as part of our decorating display in the house this holiday season OR do we just start nibbling on it and enjoy all of its yumminess? Decorations schmecorations...I have a feeling we'll be nibbling!

Thanksgiving - Part 2

2009-11-19T19:51:00.000-08:00

Okay, slight change in plans to our Thanksgiving travel schedule which I've previously written about on this blog - we are now NOT going to Arizona and Nevada but are STILL going to San Diego for a week. After doing a cost analysis and budgeting for our upcoming trip, we decided to nix the Arizona and Nevada legs of our road trip this year to save ourselves some money. So, San Diego, here we come!

Making that slight change in travel plans also leaves us in town for Thanksgiving but since we just decided to cancel our plans for traveling that day, we are now left with some options. In the past, we've either traveled to the East Coast to New York or to Virginia to spend time with grandparents and other extended family. During the years that we have not traveled back to the East Coast, we have either gone to friends' homes here in California or have had friends over to our house for Thanksgiving. This year, we're not doing any of those things since we are just changing our plans at the last minute ourselves for Thanksgiving.

While Thanksgiving this year will still be a time of connecting and remembering our many blessings, we're switching things up just a bit. Mike is planning on spending part of his Thanksgiving on the golf course. Yes, golf courses are open on Thanksgiving, and the rates are even discounted at the course for Thanksgiving and yes, I'm even 100% okay with him playing that day. While Mike is golfing that day, the twins and I are going to be getting in the giving spirit and will be visiting some regional homeless shelters Thanksgiving Day donating traditional Thanksgiving dinner items (pies, bread, stuffing, turkey, etc.) This year, our church pastor has inspired and encouraged those of us who can give of our resources and our time this Thanksgiving to those who have far less, hence the plans for the girls and I to get out of our comfort zone, so to speak, and visit some local homeless shelters to help those needy and hungry individuals, families and children in our community who might not otherwise have a holiday meal to enjoy.

Sure, it's not how we've traditionally spent our Thanksgivings in the past, but on the other hand, I'm actually more excited about this Thanksgiving because as our pastor has encouraged us - we're putting our faith into action doing something for the hungry and homeless in our neighborhoods. It's also going to serve as a nice reminder of what this season is truly all about - giving to others less fortunate.

Thanksgiving - Part 3

2009-11-19T19:26:00.000-08:00

I Am Thankful For....

A husband who takes terrific care of me and our daughters and who provides us with a wonderful life.

A great playschool in the neighborhood who offers me the occassional break from the twins in order to grocery shop, run errands, etc.

A church that helps Mike and me in our relationship with each other and with God and that provides a Sunday School for our children where they are happy, learn songs and stories about Jesus each week.

Daughters who allow me to see the world with continued wonder and newness and who always keep me on my toes and exhausted (but exhausted in a good way).

A "job" as a stay-at-home mom that provides our children with full-time care from me every day of their young lives. In the words of Dr. Laura Schlessinger, "I Truly Am My Kids' Mom" and I love that part of my life.

A car that runs, okay, 2 cars that run.

A house that is warm.

A refrigerator and cupboards with food for our table.

Clothing that fits.

Friends, old and new, who share in life with me.

A generous and loving God who has blessed me with all of these.

Little Miss Personalities

2009-11-19T19:11:00.000-08:00

The genetics of my husband and I produced two beautiful children who don't yet look like either of us. Oh, sure, if you talk to Mike's family and friends, they'll tell you that the girls look just like he did as a small child. If you talk to my family and friends, they'll tell you that the girls look just like I did as a child. Ultimately, that tells me that the girls really don't look like either of us whatsoever! Of course, there are some physical traits which are clearly Mike's and other physical traits that are clearly mine - they have Mike's mouth/lips and Mike's eye shape, and they have my blue eyes and curly hair.

I actually have a much easier time finding which personality traits the kids have inherited from us to this point than their physical traits. They both are independent, free-spirited, confident, determined and strong-willed. Funny thing is these are also how I would describe many of Mike's and my own character traits. They are such determined little things! And, I love that about both of them.

The Mystery of Family

2009-11-19T06:38:00.000-08:00

"The family you come from isn't nearly as important as the family you're going to have." - Ring Lardner, American Writer (1885-1933)

I have heard a number of variations of the sentiment above from authors, psychologists, pastors, historians, etc. but I like the way that Ring Lardner puts it perhaps best of all. Like some people, blogging can occassionally be a form of "therapy" for me. I suppose anytime one puts thoughts to paper, or in this case to the keyboard, it is that way. It is also a way to record some memories (before I forget them) so the memories can survive a muddled brain that is constantly juggling a million things and remembering daily details and a plethora of to do's in our family's life.

I am often in the car driving to and from various doctor appointments as well as speech and physical therapy programs, and the twins are in the back reading stories, singing or chatting with one another as we drive. When you're in the car a lot like I am, you begin to find yourself pondering life, relationships, God, family, all kinds of stuff. Sometimes I think about wonderful things to blog about here, but usually those thoughts are gone by the time I come and sit down at my computer.

My goal in blogging at Twinsanity has always been to share about the positive aspects of my family, my life with twins, my experiences as a wife and as a mother. I may break this "rule" from time to time, but this post today is not one of those times.

I have a lot of really great memories of my childhood. I had a wonderful childhood, oh sure, there were the tough times once in a while and there were times and experiences that I'd like to forget but thankfully, those were the exception and not the rule to my childhood.

My childhood memories are made up of all kinds of moments; and looking back upon my childhood, and as a parent now myself, I find a new appreciation and value in the role of my own parents. They helped me grow, they always loved me, they helped me make good decisions, they comforted me in disappointment, broken relationships or hard times.

Now, I'm a woman and mother myself, and as wonderful as my childhood was, I have recently found myself thinking upon the statment at the outset of this blog posting: "The family you come from isn't nearly as important as the family you're going to have." And, how true that is. While we certainly will always have our experiences from our own childhoods, our parents and our siblings, what is also inescapable is that once you marry, start a family and begin raising your own children, the family from which you came begins to take a back seat, if you will, to the family to which you are now making for yourself. Family is a mystery like that, I suppose. Everyone comes from a family, and those who go onto create their own family begin to forge new family relationships in a way that I could have never even fathomed until becoming married and a parent myself.

So, here at this blog, I often think about that. I think about what I hope and wish for in my children's lives and futures. I realize that they're "ours" for only a few years really; that utlimately they will grow into young adults and young women, perhaps marry, have children, and begin families of their own. I am committed to writing in this blog about their little lives, their futures, their happiness, their potential, their talents, their experiences. I might not always talk here about how as twin sisters they fight because I don't wish for them to remember their childhood fights as much as I wish for them to remember their childhood love and hugs with each other. I also hope that someday when they are young adults, or even mothers themselves, that they will be able to remember memories and experiences from their childhoods, just as I have, that will make them smile, laugh, even cry.....

Life is good these days, in spite of some difficult and challenging situations. We are all healthy. We are a family of 4, blessed beyond measure. Although there is stress in our lives - as any married couple raising children, managing a household, and juggling all the balls of life that come with that responsibility - I'm truly thankful for the haven of my family in between our moments of stress or strife.

As I was growing up, my parents often talked with me about giving everything that is important to me over to God through prayer. I do find myself turning to God in prayer a little more these days because as with everything in life that is important to me and my family, taking it to God in prayer seems equally as important. As I look ahead to the many more years of raising our children, I hope that we will always help to facilitate the same in Paige and Taylor - teaching them to turn to God in prayer in both the good and the tough times, teaching them to make good decisions, comforting them if/when they don't make good decisions, helping them mend broken hearts if their hearts are ever saddened; and, then, eventually watching them take flight from our little nest to building lives and nests of their own with their families. Someday, we will even have the Ring Lardner "talk" with Paige and Taylor about how the family that they "came from isn't nearly as important as the family they're going to have" and/or the children they're going to raise....

Yikes! Pressure Sores from AFO Braces

2009-11-17T21:06:00.000-08:00

I know it's not just me. It really is always something when you have kids, isn't it?!

This evening, for example, as I was getting the girls ready for their evening bath, and as I sat on the floor with Taylor, helping her take off her little braces, I noticed it - a pressure sore on the bony part of the inside of her ankle. And seeing that sore, well, I got very sad. Yikes! A pressure sore.

Taylor has never had one in the 2-1/2 years that she has been wearing her AFO braces. What I know about pressure sores from braces is that once you have one, that particular area of skin becomes weakened and especially prone to getting them again even after the sores have completely healed. And, if there's one thing that a mom of a child with cerebral palsy gets bragging rights about - it's that your kid has never had pressure sores from braces. Oh, well, so much for bragging rights on that...Taylor got her first pressure sore from her AFOs today.

When I saw it, I asked Taylor if the spot was hurting her...Taylor told me that it "wasn't an owie" and it didn't seem to hurt her. (That made me feel a little bit better). After Taylor's bath, I treated the sore with Neosporin, covered it with a band-aid, gave her little ankle a kiss and Taylor an extra big hug and told her that her ankle would be "all better" real soon.

Until the pressure sore goes away, I will NOT be putting Taylor's braces on at all so that the sore on her ankle can fully heal. I also will be contacting the orthotist who crafted Taylor's braces first thing tomorrow when their office opens to let the orthotist know that we need to get her braces checked again for proper fitting and make any adjustments we might need to make as soon as possible!

Perhaps Taylor's just going through a growth spurt and her one foot/ankle is no longer fitting that one brace the way that it was first designed; well, whatever the reason, it's got to be corrected and right away. It absolutely broke my heart tonight to see that Taylor had developed a pressure sore on her ankle from her AFOs, and I just hope that her orthotist can fix whatever needs to be fixed on Taylor's brace so that she will be able to wear her braces again without further issue.

Awesome

2009-11-16T22:08:00.000-08:00

I can't tell you how awesome it feels to walk out of a doctor's appointment with NO problems, NO follow-ups or NO worries. Where everything is just fine. It feels wonderful!

Today, I took Paige to her GI doctor - the same GI doctor who has followed Paige from her early NICU preemie days, the same doctor who has prescribed Paige a slew of caloric supplements and daily regimens of weight gain formulas, the same doctor who has tracked her every ounce of weight gain for the past 4 years - for a routine check-up and all is well! YES, all is well with Paige's weight gain and all is well with Paige's height to weight ratios.

I also can't tell you how awesome it feels to see Taylor making the kind of progress she's making with her physical therapy these days. Between her new braces, coupled with some new in-clinic and at-home exercise programs we're doing with her, Taylor is walking better, steadier and smoother. Heck, her physical therapists even get her on a treadmill each week - she's doing that well! It truly is wonderful to see the progress she's made over the last couple of months and to see her hardwork in physical therapy paying off.

God's been so good to our girls and they get more and more awesome with each new day!

Sunday Best Dress Up

2009-11-15T22:04:00.000-08:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-11-11T21:03:00.001-08:00

Preschool, Here We Come!

2009-11-09T18:13:00.000-08:00

Long before we'd finished changing multiple diapers per day and juggled dual bottle feedings as infants, even prior to saying our recent goodbyes to daily naps, Mike and I were already confronting the NEXT BIG THING: Preschool. Yes, Preschool.

We'd talked about our vision for Paige and Taylor's preschool from even their youngest years. Even though kids attend preschool and even kindergarten for such a short period of time each day, and that most of their early childhood development and learning happens at home with moms and dads through books, games, puzzles, songs, field trips, etc., we always knew that we would want Paige and Taylor to experience a preschool program once they turned 4 years old.

Well, 4 years old is almost here. Paige and Taylor turn 4 years old next month, and we want them to attend preschool starting in January after the preschool's Christmas break is over. We think it's important for them to learn some core concepts that will be taught in a preschool environment and that will help get them ready for kindergarten - things like confidence, good peer relationships, the abilities to tackle and persist at challenging tasks, to listen to instructions (by someone other than mom and dad) and to be attentive. And, while I think that our girls - as with all twins and multiples - have enjoyed their own built-in peer companionship and have had to learn about sharing and waiting their turn perhaps earlier than those children who are singletons or who have siblings of different ages, I still want to give Paige and Taylor an opportunity to play with other children in a school environment and I think that preschool will really help them learn about the world that exists beyond their twinship.

Well, tonight after I finish writing this blog posting, I will tackle the registration packets for Paige and Taylor and will also write checks reserving their spots in preschool. I had a tour of the school today and absolutely fell in love! I'd visited several other schools in the area and none had really sparked my interest the way that this school did! I toured the classrooms, reviewed the curriculum and the daily schedule for the children and this one today, was THE ONE! The school that we have selected is a Christian preschool (as well as elementary, middle-, high-school) that will offer Paige and Taylor an academically challenging curriculum in an environment that supports Biblical principles - both of which are really important to us as parents. The preschool emphasizes learning through play and socialization; and in addition to having a beautiful school campus, a credentialed teaching staff as well as the latest and greatest amenities in the classrooms, another reason I was drawn to this particular school is that they have a reputation for giving their preschool children a headstart on phonics to help lay the groundwork for their future endeavors in learning to read in kindergarten.

In closing this post tonight, as excited as I am about the twins attending this Christian preschool, I am also a little sad. Sad that my babies are growing up...where did the time go? It seemed like just yesterday we were bringing them home from the NICU, and yet, look at them now, in just another month, they'll be starting preschool and venturing out into this wide, wonderful world!

Holiday Travel Plans - Hard To Believe It's REALLY That Time Of Year Again

2009-11-06T14:17:00.000-08:00

Hard to believe that it's already time to start making holiday travel plans again, but alas, that's what we're doing. This year, we're planning holiday travel for Thanksgiving and Christmas! We're going to places we've never been in both instances.....and can't wait!

I wrote briefly about our Thanksgiving travel plans this year in this previous thread:
http://ashley-twinsanity.blogspot.com/2009/10/making-vacation-plans-thanksgiving.html

And, now, we're in full planning mode for Christmas too. Another road trip for us, much like our Thanksgiving plans, yet to an entirely different destination. For the Christmas holidays, we're looking at visiting both Oregon and Washington this year. I have friends in Washington state who also have young children Paige and Taylor's age and I've been chatting with them and coordinating with them about our visit...it will be so wonderful to see ol' friends again! Mike also has an office in Washington state, so he might combine the vacation time with a little work with a brief stop-over to his Washington office and to meet with fellow co-workers.

We do love road-trips! Road trips are easy on the budget too since we always use some of the reward points that Mike has accrued from his job and all his travel, frequent hotel stays making our lodging totally free! And, of course, lodging is usually one of the biggest expenses, and when you're a family on a budget, finding savings like hotel costs is HUGE! So, this year for the holidays, we'll be making the most of them by hitting the road, seeing the sights and will even pack a portable pre-lit, pre-decorated Christmas tree in the car that can be set up in the hotel rooms and that we will set our Christmas presents under. What's so great about kids and family, is wherever you go, whatever you find yourself doing, some things and traditions are pretty portable - presents, small Christmas tree, decorations, stockings, you name it, just bring it with you! I even have some fond memories from my own childhood of the 4 of us (my dad, my mom, my older brother and I) taking to the road for the holidays...they were always fun times and made for fun memories! Yes, it will be a slightly untraditional Christmas perhaps, but one that we'll be sure to remember with loads of new experiences and places to visit for Paige and Taylor!

Flashcards Fun

2009-11-06T14:02:00.000-08:00

We're still working with Paige on some of her pronunciation/articulation of certain letter sounds, in conjunction with her weekly speech sessions at school, and this week we're working on the "K" and "G" sounds. We have some simple flashcards that we use to help her at home - they're fun, have little pictures on them, and we encourage Paige to tell us the object as she looks at each image. I still need to get creative with the flash cards by adding color to the images (with crayons) to help jazz them up a bit, but in the meantime, these flashcards seem to be wonderful teaching tools for the girls, and specifically for helping Paige with her articulation. As she says the name of the object she sees on the flashcard, if she stumbles over the sound, we'll repeat that consonant sound with emphasis on the specific letter she's struggling with. For example, we'll say "k- k- k- key" with emphasis on the "k" sound. She will usually then repeat the sound back to us as well as the object's name, with correct articulation. It's really fun to see her work and to succeed at the sounds, while not knowing she's actually working. And, at this age, that's how it should be in my opinion - learning through play!

Last night, Mike was home from work in time to participate, so I took a moment to step back and snap a couple quick pictures.