Happy Easter
As the kids get older, our family holidays continue to evolve along with them. We went to an Easter egg hunt last year, but none of the kids really knew what was going on, and tossed as many eggs out of their baskets as they put in. This year, they have heard more about Easter (both the religious and secular sides) at home and at school. They were excited to hunt eggs and see the bunny yesterday, and they had some idea that the day was about more than just chocolate bunnies.
We all got up early this morning and went to church. The kids still go to the church nursery, but I hope they’ll be able to sit with me and hear the children’s message before long.
I was ringing handbells in the service this morning, which they get excited just hearing about ever since I let them ring one of the bells one morning a few months back.
When we got home, we discovered that the Easter Bunny had paid us a visit while we were at church. They dug right into their baskets, which had more toys and trinkets than candy, but they still got enough chocolate (and not enough lunch, nap, or dinner) to be plenty cranky by bedtime. Oh well, they enjoyed the day right up until then, that’s worth a rough evening once in a while.
New photos from yesterday and today on the April 2010 page!
Spring Break & Aquarium Trip
Jimmy and Katie have the week off from school, and we’re trying to get out of the house more often and spend more time with friends. Last week we had a playground day with some friends and today was a trip to the “little aquarium” (Clearwater Marine Aquarium, home of Winter, the dolphin with a prosthetic tail).
Since the weather is getting much warmer (it goes straight from winter to summer here, it seems), we have been playing outside more and even having picnic lunches and dinners in the yard.
We are certainly keeping busy, you can see some more of our adventures on the March 2010 and our aquarium trip photo album pages. I had some fun at the playground the other day recreating this photo (one of my favorites) from December 2008:
Here’s the new one… hard to believe only 15 months have passed!
We’re Goin’ to the zoo, zoo, zoo… How about you, you, you?
Yesterday, Miss Kristina and I took the kids on an impromptu trip to the zoo, and a good time was had by all.
We tried out the new (to us) triple stroller I bought recently from a friend. Although a bit more awkward to maneuver (though better than our old triple, thanks to sturdier construction and a shorter wheelbase), 
it was overall a big improvement over pushing two separate strollers. It meant that Jimmy & Katie could walk by themselves with one of us keeping tabs on them and the other pushing the stroller (this was made easier by arriving just at opening time and having the place nearly deserted most of the morning).
The kids were looking forward to seeing monkeys, and we told them the that we might be able to ride a camel so that was exciting too. The camels weren’t ready yet when we first got to them, so I bought each of the kids a cracker to feed the giraffe. After convincing Jimmy to hold the cracker instead of throwing it at the animal, everyone did well. The camel rides were up next, which was a lot of fun too. All three enjoyed the ride, and they were even interested in the little details along the way (feel the camel’s fur? what color is it? we’re up high!… anything to feel like we were getting our $4 per ride worth. :-)
We strolled around for a bit after that and saw the usual collection of birds and beasts: elephants, monkeys, flamingos, penguins, a white tiger, etc., and then headed over to the petting zoo. That turned out to be the biggest hit of the day, especially when I dug a couple of quarters out of my purse to get some goat food out of the machine. Squeals and giggles all around as the goats gobbled up the pellets right out of our hands — those wiggly lips tickle!
More photos toward the bottom of the March 2010 page.
“Mommy, the Clouds are Waking Up!”
This was Jimmy’s observation shortly after he got out of bed, as the rising sun lit up a few white, fluffy clouds against the brightening blue of the morning sky. He went on to tell me that the clouds looked like a bear and an airplane.
Where are these thoughts coming from? Jimmy and Katie are no longer just parroting things we say or telling us what they want or don’t; 
there are amazing creations of thought going on in the brains of these children we still think of as “our babies.”
By far the most often expressed thought among all three these days is, “I do it!” From throwing away a scrap of paper, to putting on a shirt, to any number of things that cause screams and cries when our response is, “No, Mommy does this.” When they can, and do, what accomplishments! Food that was “enh” at best takes on a whole new dimension when they open a wrapper, peel a banana, or add a topping themselves. Choosing clothes and getting dressed is an adventure instead of a chore — for me as well as them.
Sarah tries so hard to keep up with everything the twins do, and succeeds surprisingly often. She is frustrated sometimes when she can’t, or when we won’t let her tackle something she’s not quite ready for, and she has definitely found the voice to let us know!
New picture page for March 2010!
Celebrating Forever Day
Two years ago yesterday, after long months of waiting for all of the paperwork to be finished, we finally had a Final Judgment of Adoption in our hands, signed, sealed and delivered. It was Forever Day!
This year, we celebrated Forever Day with a wonderful day at Disney World: lunch with princesses, lots of fun rides, new t-shirts, and even a couple of toys to bring home. It was a great way to celebrate a special day, and J & K especially enjoyed wearing their “Celebrate” buttons and having Disney cast members join in our happiness.
Lots more to report… so little time. New photos in the January and February 2010 albums!
Happy New Year (2010)!
With the exception of lingering colds, 2010 is off to a good start. The meal planning, shopping, and (mostly crock-pot) cooking went well last week. This week is more of the same, with pizza soup, pesto chicken with sweet potatoes, and lasagna planned for the slow cooker with 
some leftovers in between. Sarah & I got the week’s shopping done this morning while Jimmy and Katie were at their first day back to school after the Christmas break.
New Year’s Day was chilly and rainy here, but we ventured out to the store anyway. Russ took Jimmy to Lowe’s to find some possum-proof garbage pails, and the girls and I picked up some new craft supplies at Jo-Ann Fabrics. After we got home, we decided some messy play was in order, so everyone (kids, that is :-) stripped down to diapers and splashed around in tubs of water on the kitchen floor.
We made a trip to Ikea on Saturday to look for a couch for the kids’ playroom, and our mission was a success! We found the “Klippan” love seat with this fun, colorful cover, and a couple of pillows that match the other“Barnslig” collection items in the room. The kids love it, as a jungle gym and a place to sit! Sunday morning had both feeling pretty low, so we spent a quiet day at home. Whether it’s the cold weather or just a particularly nasty bug, we can’t seem to kick these colds.
They keep growing up so fast. Suddenly they’re through with baby toys and moving on to bigger and better things. They love building with blocks (not just stacking them in piles anymore), acting out stories with the Little People and their vehicles and buildings, and requesting particular TV shows and movies — Jimmy’s Christmas present of Cars, aka “Racing Cars”, is a current favorite, along with Toy Story, or “Woody and Buzz”. Dress-up and pretend games are also lots of fun, like this scene the other day in the little kitchen:
Speaking of growing up, our newest adventure is potty training in earnest. Mostly for Jimmy and Katie, of course, but Sarah doesn’t want to be left out so we might get lucky. So far we’re off to a slow start, but we are keeping our fingers crossed. I bought our first packages of Pull-Ups today…
New pictures on the new January 2010 page!
Food, Food, Food
We and the kids have been eating a pretty terrible diet lately. It seems like we’re always busy, and they are two year-olds, so we have gotten stuck in a rut of chicken nuggets, hot dogs, grilled cheese, and so on. There is plenty of fresh fruit, and some decent snacks, but vegetables have virtually disappeared as has any variety whatsoever. Russ and I are just as bad, lots of pizza lunches and whatever’s easy for dinner — often a handful of the kids’ mini corn dogs (or fish sticks, if we’re lucky), sometimes a blah chicken breast baked in some goop, and an occasional something delicious Russ cooks on the grill.
I’m not much of a cook (I can hear various family members laughing now), but I can follow a recipe. This means I can cook decent, healthy meals when I put my mind to it. Of course, I also have to be organized enough to get grocery shopping done ahead of time and, if I want the kids to eat it, arrange to have everything ready to serve at their usual dinner time, 5:30. On those days I’m working, this is… well… wishful thinking.
One day I stumbled upon a blog called A Year of Slow Cooking, by a woman who used her crock pot every day in 2008 — not always for food, she also has some nifty craft projects tucked in there — and posted the recipes she used along with her reviews. I had a crock pot, a nice big one, which I drug out once in a while to cook a stew or corned beef brisket. I didn’t have many recipes, and it was inconvenient having to time things so that I would remember when to turn it off and be home at the appointed time.
I started getting ideas. First off, I determined that I needed a “smart” slow cooker, one that would take a cooking time or target temperature setting, and switch over to “keep warm” when the food is done cooking. My mother obliged, and I got a smart pot for my birthday. Next was having the supplies on hand to put into the thing. This proved a bit more challenging. A couple of test flights turned out OK, but had me scrambling for substitute ingredients and doing frantic last-minute prep work.
Finally, last weekend, I added in some menu planning, made a shopping list, and stocked up on everything I’d need for the week on Monday morning (which, at least here, is an excellent time to be at the grocery store!). Monday night’s tacos used leftover chicken from one of my weekend meals (from which we also got a couple of lunches), the slow cooker has been in play for the past two nights making orange-apricot pork chops and a complete steak-potatoes-corn on the cob dinner. Last night I mixed up the leftover rice and diced pork chops with some leftover corn, frozen peas, and the end of an onion, and it will go into the pot with a couple of eggs later to become “fried” rice for dinner with enough left over to last a few days (along with two lunch servings each of the pork chips and steak).
The kids are taking to it pretty well so far, even though Jimmy’s dinner appetite has been like a bird for a while now, he declared the two bites of pork chop he had “delicious!” Katie is eating some of everything, and our little Tidbit Sarah devours whatever the other two don’t finish. They’re still getting the kid staples (chicken nuggets, etc.) for lunch, so they won’t starve in any event :-). Russ and I are sitting down to dinner with the kids most nights, which I hope will be an ongoing habit. It’s not haute cuisine by any stretch, but it’s better than what we’ve been eating. We’re not scrambling over “what’s for dinner?”, and I’m not feeling that burn of Mommy Shame as I watch the kids pick through another plateful of corn dogs or chicken nuggets.
Merry Christmas (2009)!
We have had an eventful couple of months, including a 12-day trip which spanned Disney world, the Auto Train, and Thanksgiving in New Jersey with my family. That will have its own post and photos once I get caught up.
This year was the first time the kids really had any idea that Christmas was coming, Santa, happy birthday Jesus, and all that. We 
had fun “brainwashing” them over the past several weeks, watching Christmas videos, looking and listening for Santa and the reindeer outside, decorating the tree (what little we did), and finally last night leaving cookies, milk, and an apple out for Santa and the reindeer.
This morning they were first excited to find little goodies in the stockings we hung in their playroom, and then absolutely thrilled to see the stash Santa left us under the Christmas tree in the living room. Katie got the hang
of opening gifts very quickly, and ended up helping Jimmy and Sarah, who were a little more absorbed with their first couple of new toys.
We had a great day playing together. They didn’t get too much “stuff”, but we tried to find plenty of imagination play toys (dress-up clothes, building blocks, and musical instruments), things they can play with together and we can play with them. We even got them their first game, Candyland, though it will be a little while before they’ll sit down and play it.
More photos on the Christmas 2009 page!
Pumpkin Post
There is so much to catch up on, I’m not even going to try to cover it all in this post. The twins love preschool. They are so excited to get out of the house on “school day” mornings, and they’re full of things to tell me when I pick them up afterwards. Their imaginations are really going wild now — snacks become trucks and airplanes and various animals; boxes and chairs are cars and trains often. They have entire conversations with us and with each other, some of which we even understand. :-)
We’ve had a few weeks of various illnesses, but we seem to be past the latest bout now and hopefully we’ll stay healthy for a while as we have a couple of big trips coming up in November.
We have been back to Disney World a few times now, and they love it more every time. We have a better time each trip too as we figure out some little tricks to keep everyone happy through the day. Our last trip was one of the best, the crowds were low and we got to take them on a lot of rides we’d normally skip due to long lines: Pirates of the Caribbean, Aladdin’s Flying Carpets, the “Indy Cars”, Jungle Cruise, even the Haunted Mansion. We also got to eat an early dinner with Tigger, Pooh bear, Eyore, and Piglet, which was great fun.
Today was the twins’ club Halloween party, for which we went as a miniature space shuttle crew:
I have a few pictures of our costumes up on the October 2009 photo page, but I have yet to catch up on September and the beginning of this month.
First day of (Pre)school, Mommyvan, and More
Jimmy and Katie started preschool last Monday, three days a week from 9am until 12:15. On Thursday they were very upset that they weren’t going to school, and Friday morning they were begging me to go
“Bye-bye car? School?” before we even had breakfast. When I drop them off, they don’t even wait to say goodbye. I think they like it. I don’t know what I’m going to do with all of the little treasures they bring home, though. This first week they learned about helping hands, listening ears, and walking feet, and brought home a craft project for each (I would love to know the secret to using paper, glue, crayons, stickers, etc. with two teachers and ten 2 year-olds — just having some coloring time with our three here is a major undertaking!). I see a lot of scanning and picture-taking in my future… or another addition to the house. :-)
I think I neglected to mention that we have a new vehicle as of a couple of weeks ago… the “Mommyvan”. It’s a Honda Odysssey, with all the bells & whistles. Yes, I’m a minivan mom now, and it makes life soooooo much easier, especially when I have to get all three in and out by myself. The DVD player in the back seat isn’t something I plan on using often, but it sure came in very handy on our drive over to Disney last weekend!
We spent yesterday morning on the boat with some friends, and then went for a little swim after lunch. There are photos of this and our first days of school in the August 2009 album, and I uploaded a couple of fun little videos of everyone splashing in the pool:
All of the activity made for great naps and a quick bedtime last night, but everyone was up very early this morning. As much as I like some extra sleep in the AM, I also find myself treasuring the pre-dawn quiet with just me and one, two, or all three of the kids. They are usually happy, talkative, and full of imagination on these early mornings, which is something I want to soak up while it lasts!
I need to get myself a notebook to write down some of our little moments, I enjoy them so much but they slip away so fast… Several days ago I read a tip in a magazine about lining up kid-sized chairs to make a pretend train, so we tried it and the kids LOVED it! Russ was the engineer, and I collected “tickets” (alphabet flash cards). Every day since then, Jimmy has dragged all of the chairs from around the table to make another train, which they take turns driving. Even Sarah gets in on the “choo-choo” noises. This morning Jimmy and Katie were up first, and as we all looked out the window at the stars up in the sky, Jimmy started singing “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” We took a little walk outside to better see the stars, which was really fun because they don’t often get to be outdoors in the dark.
Time to get some breakfast into the little critters now… and figure out how we will amuse ourselves today!
Around the World at Epcot
Another Disney trip today, this time to Epcot. It is getting easier and easier every time. We started our day with a tour of Innoventions, which has been completely re-done since our last visit several yars ago. 
Next up was lunch at The Land food court, grilled salmon for us and chicken legs for the kids. Katie and Sarah loved theirs — and the mashed potatoes — but Jimmy was mostly interested in the grapes and some milk.
After lunch we decided we would brave the Imagination ride. There was room for all 5 of us in the back seat of one of the cars, which worked out well. Sarah grinned and giggled through the whole ride. Katie and Jimmy were mesmerized… a little scared at a couple of dark and loud points, but just enough to grab my hand and then they were all smiles again. We had fun dancing around in the music area at the end of the ride too, and then it was back to the strollers for a walk “around the world.” Katie and Sarah caught a nap, but Jimmy was too wound up to sleep. The girls woke up just in time to see the “British Invasion” band in England, and we had a little play time in the garden maze there. We all had snacks, and then headed back to Imagination for another ride which they seemed enjoy even more than the first time.
Trying to decide on dinner, we haded back to The Land and got lucky — it was early enough that we could get a table right away for the character meal at the Garden Grill. We got off to a bit of a rough start, 
but as soon as we got some milk and had a visit from Dale, things started improving. Jimmy and Katie weren’t sure what was going on at first, but quickly figured it out and loved seeing Mickey, Pluto, Chip, and Dale up close. It was the first time they got to see Mickey Mouse “for real”, and they were very excited. Sarah wanted nothing to do with them at first, but friendly Pluto eventually won her over… she waved, smiled, laughed at his peek-a-boo, and even patted his nose and his paw, as long as she had Mommy right there to hold on to.
I’m getting smarter with our arrangements and brought along night-time diapers and PJs in the car this time. We got milk refills for the sippy cups just before we left the restaurant, and then changed everyone into bedtime attire for the ride home. Jimmy (who, as you may recall, hadn’t napped all day) was out like a light before we left the parking lot. girls stayed awake all the way home, mostly happy. When we pulled into the garage around 8pm, Jimmy woke up just enough to get into the house. We got everyone’s teeth brushed and then right into bed. They didn’t even wait for a story, and we haven’t heard a peep out of them since we turned out the light (their bedtime is usually around 7 – 7:30, but one or more of them are often awake and playing in the bedroom for an hour or more after that).
All in all it was a GREAT day. It rained a little here and there, but we managed to stay dry. It was so much fun for me to see the kids enjoying the rides and even understanding some of what they were seeing. 
It is also exciting to be able to manage a trip like this better and better, and to have the kids manage themselves better and better each time. Jimmy and Katie do a great job holding my hands and even walking next to me without holding hands. They do occasionally take off, but all we have to do is yell “STOP!” and they freeze. Tonight as we were heading out after dinner, they both got very silly and kept flopping down on the floor laughing while I tried to get them to walk. Even though I was pretty tired at that point (and dinner had been rather hectic), I had to smile. So many of their days are so predictable, as are they, that it’s nice to see them get completely worn out and overstimulated once in a while… and just be silly, tired kids!
One thing we are still working on is waiting in line. It’s something that they just don’t understand yet and they get very frustrated. Fortunately we haven’t had anything yet that we have had to wait more than a minute or two for. I hope they are getting the idea as we try the little lines so that we can do longer ones soon!
Epcot pictures in the usual place…
School Days
This morning was “New Friends” day at Jimmy & Katie’s preschool, which starts Monday morning. It’s at our church, in the same room as the nursery care, and I think the familiar surroundings will help a lot. 
This morning was an hour of playing and meeting their classmates and teachers, with parents helping or standing on the sidelines. We mostly let them do their own thing. They each “checked in” with us a couple of times, but spent most of the time oblivious to our (and each other’s) presence.
The twins are changing so fast, it is hard to keep track of what new things they are doing this week. I take a lot of pictures in hopes of capturing some of the memories I don’t get a chance to write down. Lately they are talking more and more, stringing words together, and showing a lot of independent thoughts and ideas. They ask for specific toys, food, and activities, and have wild imaginations! Often in the mornings, I open their door to a parade of cats, elephants, or other creatures (all 3 on hands and 
knees “meow”ing their way down the hall). Sarah joins right in, and her vocabulary is expanding rapidly. The cutest thing she does right now is when she asks for something and says in her sweetest voice, ”Puh-leeeeeeeease?” like a little tiny Southern belle, with a similarly dainty, drawn-out “please” sign at the same time. Katie’s current cute thing is when something is wrong and she says “Oh dear!” or “Oh goodness!”
We have been down to the pool again with all three kiddies, and Jimmy & Katie are getting good enough in the water that we decided to forego the floaty suits for them. It went great! They both had fun splashing around on the steps, and stayed out of the deeper water unless one of us encouraged them to jump in. Sarah spent most of the time in her little raft, but got to do a little “swimming” once we all got comfortable. It is so nice that things like this are getting easier and easier, I really look forward to being able to get out and do more things with the kids!
Another “first” coming up, they were invited to their first birthday party, which is tomorrow. Their favorite bedtime story lately has been “Happy Birthday Thomas” (Jimmy asks for it every night… “birday thomas?”), so perhaps they will even understand a little of what is going on.
New pictures in the August album too!
