Easy Like Sunday Morning

Here's how some of us passed the time on Sunday...

Taylor watching a Disney movie on her laptop...

While mommy and Paige doze on the couch...

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

Paige sleeping soundly, just like a little angel.

Tot Birthday Party

We went to a birthday party for one of Paige and Taylor's little friends over the weekend. A couple pictures from the party...

The happy couple. Why am I so smiley? I think it was the margaritas...I can't remember when the last time it was that I had a margarita before this party...if I weren't on mommy duty, I might have even had more!

Awwwwe. Love this picture of our girls! I adore seeing them hugging and loving each other in pictures like this.

The birthday girl, Devyn. Love this picture too. It's as if she's thinking to herself - the toys, the people, the cake - you mean to tell me that it's all for me?!

The birthday party was a great time for all of us. Good food, good company, good times!

Weekend Outlook

Tommorrow's going to be a great day! Why, you ask? Well, for starters, I am finally going to visit the salon to get my roots touched up. Talk about bad hair days...since I've been long overdue for getting my highlights re-done at the salon and my roots have been showing for weeks now, I've been donning some sort of hair accessory for days and weeks on end it seems. One day it's a do-rag, another day, it's a baseball hat, still another day, it's a paper boy hat. After tomorrow, I can retire all my hair accessories once again, well, at least until my roots starting growing back in.

Also, there is a birthday party in the afternoon/evening for one of my friend's little girls. It's always fun getting together with girlfriends and their little ones and Paige and Taylor always have so much fun playing with other little people just like them. Even better yet, I always have such fun watching them play and interact with their little peers. Oh, oh, oh, and we also happened to spend a day at the park with this same friend and her little girl earlier in the week, so hanging out with them AGAIN two times in one week is a real treat for all of us!

Mike is also home this weekend! YES! Usually he's gone at least one of the days over the weekend with "the boys" - golfing...or poker night...or fishing. Then again, there are many other times when he's holed up in his office over the weekend catching up on his work - he's such a hard worker and such an awesome provider to his family. But, not this weekend, he's ours all ours this weekend. YES! I'm really looking forward to a little extra family time this weekend with him and with all of us.

Tea Party Rally Kick-Off Today

In case you haven't heard, The Tea Party Express national bus tour is hosting a series of tea party rallies all across the nation from California to Maine. It's a 16-day, 35-city tour rallying Americans to stand up against out-of-control government spending. WATCH 2-minutes of national news coverage of the Sacramento rally here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB_4vh76BYQ

The effort actually began today in Sacramento, California and will travel eastward, building momentum as the tour reaches its final destination: the big 09.12.09 Taxpayer March on Washington D.C. At each stop, the tour will highlight the worst offenders in Congress who have voted for higher taxes, more spending and greater government interference in the lives of American business and families. The tour will end with a rally in Washington D.C. on September 12th when Congress is expected to be moving health care legislation through the House and Senate. The primary focus: health care legislation that many fear will further erode many of their personal freedoms and further cripple an already fledgling economy.

Our family attended the Tea Party Express event today in downtown Sacramento, and we were among thousands of other Americans gathered together to voice our peaceful opposition to the excessive size of government, the idea that government is making decisions that it shouldn't have a role in making about people's personal lives, including healthcare decisions. You might recall that I also wrote briefly about some of the specific local issues that are facing Californians in a recent blog posting...you can backtrack to that posting by simply clicking here: http://ashley-twinsanity.blogspot.com/2009/08/government-is-not-solutionit-is-part-of.html (Many of these issues that I highlighted in this previous blog posting were under discussion today in downtown Sacramento.)

At the end of the day, I suppose I would sum it up this way: Today's event, much like the explosion of the recent townhalls taking place across this country, featured a participatory democracy with a wide cross-section of Americans of all backgrounds and walks of life from the young to the old, despite what the cynics and the critics (of which there are many) might say, this participatory democracy is showing itself to be as robust and as alive as ever. A few pictures of the event we attended are below...

Our family - just 1 family, 4 individuals - among a gathering of thousands of other families and individuals.

There was even a little hobnobbing with politicians. This one may just be one to watch...he's got his eye on a contest with Nancy Pelosi for the Speaker of the House seat. And, I met him!!! Aren't you just a little curious to know who he is?????

A view of the lawn in front of the state capitol building.

From this vantage point, we were about 50 to 60 rows back from the capitol steps.

In this moment, talk radio personalities Armstrong & Getty were on stage at the capitol steps rallying the crowds. Can you tell I was rallying?!

I didn't make any homemade signs myself this time, but borrowed a friend's sign for a while. The message of his sign reads: "RECIPE FOR DYSTOPIA - 1 Part Stimulus Bill, 2 Parts Cap & Trade Energy Bill, 3 Parts Government Motors + ObamaCare"

A view of the coast to coast tour route for the Tea Party Express (graphic courtesy of http://www.teapartyexpress.org/index.html)

So, You Think You Can Dance

I have to get these girls signed up for dance classes...they seriously love to move and groove! Check these little chicks out!

Stylin'

Yesterday, we didn't just get hair cuts, we got hair STYLES. Complete with mousse, leave-in hair glitter and fancy little barettes. The reward for a job well done at the salon...lollipops!

Twin Play

From very early on, I learned that twins have an obvious social advantage of having an immediate and readily available playmate always at their side. Together, Paige and Taylor provide a ready source of social stimulation for each other, and these days, it's a ton of fun watching them play together and watching how they interact with one another. There really is nothing like seeing a pair of twins sharing toys or making each other laugh during playtime. These precious moments melt my heart and remind me of how blessed I really am to have twins. Here are a few pictures of Paige and Taylor playing today with their princess dolls and their dollhouse.

Paige & Taylor At Sonoma Traintown, They Love This Place!

After church, we drove to Sonoma to one of Paige and Taylor's favorite destinations - Traintown! We have taken the twins here before at least two other times, and there's always something for them to do and enjoy.

All aboard...

Paige getting restless waiting at the train station.

Paige is practicing her best "say cheese" smile.

Look at that face...

Taylor checking out the train car flooring...

The train takes us around a lovely, little lake.

Mike talking with Taylor about all the trees.

Ah, yes, the tunnel shot...its blanket of darkness always makes for the best pictures.

Paige's sweet face - her smiles are so contagious!

Taylor having a special moment with daddy on the train. I love this picture!

Tunnel shot again...

Paige and Taylor feeding the goats.

Paige and Taylor were in no hurry to share the goat-feeding experience with the other children, and a line began to form behind them...

This goat loved Paige!

Taylor's done, time to wash our hands after feeding the goats.

Mike with Paige and Taylor in a miniature-sized church.

Sitting on the miniature-sized pews of the miniature-sized church.

Paige checking out the stained-glass windows, Taylor, not sure what she's doing actually, but her face sure looks strained, doesn't it. Ha, ha.

Waving good-bye to the goats.

Another tunnel shot...

Riding the carousel.

Paige so excited to be riding a "flying horse" (her words).

Taylor keeping an eye on her sister on the carousel.

Taylor shouting out "my horse goes up and down."

Are you following me, camerman?