Photo Friday

Do all kids love crawling on the dishwasher as much as mine?


ooohh, Cheerios.....


Crazy tricyle man (sorry - Bike Man)



I'm off. See Ya!


This one was taken right before the "no, it's mine! You can't have it!" meltdown!

Recent pictures of the kids. After all, isn't that why you even look at this blog?

Caitlin's food consumption

Today for dinner Caitlin ate 2 chicken nuggets, 1/4 cup of peas, a piece of cheese, 1/2 an oatcake, a fish stick, and some corn. Can we say "growth spurt"? If we can't, we're going to be saying "diet" in the future!

Monterey Bay Aquarium

Due to some unexpected travel a few months ago, Brian had a comp day at work. He took it today, and we traveled down to Monterey to visit the Monterey Bay Aquarium. Brandon had a ball. Caitlin did too, but in a different way. Her favorite place was the stairs, and she was really into the elderly. Maybe they all look like older versions of grandparents to her. I had to stop her from stalking them everywhere she went. Mostly I didn't want her to trip up anyone who already had trouble walking (she was really into a guy with a walker, and loves wheelchairs). Brandon liked the sharks, the jellyfish, the penguins, and the Splash Zone. Caitlin liked being able to walk on a water bed-like floor at the baby area in the Splash Zone. I still like the sea otters. Especially after lunch, when they were napping. Just floating around, napping, right up against the window. I understand. That's about the only way I can sunbath - napping on an air mattress in the water on a warm day!

Monterey has been a part of my life since childhood. I remember when the aquarium was "new", and how different Cannery Row looked when it opened. Now I'm use to it (it has been over 20 years!), and it's changing again, with a hotel nearby. I will definitely miss being by the ocean. It almost made me cry today to realize that the ocean and the bay won't be a part of my daily life in a few months. It's odd to think that I won't be able to just drive there when I need my seaside fix. I have visited aquariums all over the world, and MBA is still my favorite one. Maybe because I am most familiar with the cold parts of the Pacific. Warm oceans are nice, and there is a lot to be said about being able to go to the beach and not freeze, but I still like the northern California coast up into Oregon and Washington. Beautiful, cold, uninviting in places, and full of life.

I'm too tired to write all about our day, so I'll just post a few pictures for your perusal. Enjoy!


Dad and kids viewing the kelp tank

Caitlin's favorite place

Brandon's contribution to Caitlin's lunchtime adventures

Brandon would only sit in this after I assured him that it was fake and that the clam shell wouldn't close on him

Contemplating stepping on to the water bed floor in the Splash Zone



The penguin that really wanted to talk to Brandon!

Still Around

No, I haven't dropped off the face of the planet. Nothing fun or exciting has been happening lately. I really don't think that those of you out there who may read this are interested in the chaotic ramblings of a tired, frustrated woman with two cranky kids (one of whom is breaking 3 teeth all at the same time. Can you say "fun?"  I can't). Here is a list of things happening at our house:

1) We contacted the moving company, and are moving to Colorado on May 7th
2) I am slowly collecting boxes for packing, although no packing has begun
3) I have been going through Caitlin's future clothes, and must have been zoning out when I originally sorted them. I have 12-18 month clothes in the size 2 box, size 18-24 months in the 3-4 box, etc. I have no idea what I was thinking. Glad I went through them before I hit the stores. Now I don't even have to go near a store. (I'd like to say "thank you" to all my friends who have given me your hand-me-downs. I really, really appreciate it!)
4) She cannot possibly wear all the clothes she has in those boxes.
5) She has more shoes than Brian and I combined!
6) We may have found a place in Colorado to rent. We'll let you know how things turn out later in the week.
7) I'm losing my grip on keeping a clean house. I found 2 sippy cups behind the couch with icky milk in them. Bleah!
8) On the same note, the number of times I have run the Roomba (our robotic vacuum cleaner) and the dishwasher while out of the house has increased dramatically in the last few weeks. We must just be getting messier as a family.
9) I am still hoping that Caitlin, someday, will go through an entire day (just one) without hurting herself in some way. Yesterday she tripped on the doormat and did a forehead plant on the cement in the backyard. Now she has a big red mark with little red scabs on her forehead. Poor thing. She needs a baby faceguard. Do they make those?
10) Brandon has taken up a big interest in trying to read. Let's hope I can keep up with him!

Fun at the Mall

Yesterday my friend Chris and I went to VF Mall so the kids could run around like crazy at the indoor play area. Here are some pictures from our outing:

Caitlin and Brandon in the plastic car


Emily and Joshua in the plastic car

Kids in the food court


Caught holding hands! (or attempting to steal food of the other one's tray!)


Hugging the potted plants

What Life Would be Like with 2 Sets of Twins

There are three things wrong with this picture:
1) I'd have a different stroller (2 strollers for one mom?)
2) You would never see us at the mall
3) Who would take this picture? It would have to be dad, since I'd be in the mental ward if I had 2 sets of twins!

Stair Jumping

Oh yeah, I'm so cool! I'm a big girl now!

Caitlin discovered a "fun" little activity this weekend at her uncles' house - Stair jumping! Note that it's fun for her, not so fun for us! Stair jumping, great as it may be, is simply Caitlin walking off the bottom stair and falling on her knees. Luckily Tim and Mike have soft carpeting. Here is a little "slideshow" for your enjoyment:

Okay, mom, I'm ready. Are you watching?

Yeah! You are watching!

Seriously, mom.....you are watching, aren't you?

Okay, here I go!

Watch me fall!!!!

Note the redness on Caitlin's knees. She had been Stair Jumping for a while before I was able to capture the whole thing on film. She tried to do this again today on the neighbor's stairs. Unfortunately it was outside, on cement, and the result wasn't quite what she was expecting. We didn't have to go to the doctor's though - always a plus!

Things the Kids are Doing

Here is a list of the latest things that the kids are doing:

Brandon
--Back into playing trains. Everything has a cycle. Trains were out for a while, but now they're back in.
--Likes reading the "Thomas the Tank Engine" books. Weren't these written for kids around the age of 7?
--Drawing pictures of people. They have heads, facial features, arms and legs, but no real body.
--Rhyming. For example, he'll call me "mommy wommy"
--Making up words. This isn't really new. His words are so odd, though. He named his favorite stuffed animal, a little reindeer, Gugga-dok. Brandon has a bright future naming furniture lines at IKEA.
--Counting and adding. Everything! Wheels, trains, toothbrushes, etc.
--Trying to put letters together to make words. He's started to sound out a letter, and try to figure out what words start with that sound.
--Asking a lot of deep questions - like where we go when we die. If we go to heaven, how do we get there? I can answer the first part, but I'm not sure about the second.
--The naps are getting shorter. However, his face brightened up today when I told him that he could take some books to bed and read them, but he couldn't get up. He was asleep in no time!
--Loves to play with his sister. He's a little rough, but they laugh a lot!
--When he puts stars on his chore chart, he has started putting the same colored stars on for each day. I didn't prompt this. He just likes the symmetry, I guess.
--Tells me every day how much he loves me, and how much he loves his baby sister. Occasionally cries because he doesn't want anyone to take away his mommy or his baby sister. No idea where that idea came from!
--Really into "Signing Time" on PBS. Knowing some sign language is probably not a bad thing.

Caitlin
--breaking two more teeth on the top. Looked like three last week, but I can only feel two. At this rate, she might just have four teeth by her second birthday!
--talks up a storm!
--Talks in her sleep, too.
--Thinks she's so funny. She will babble something incomprehensible, and then just starts giggling.
--Throws mini tantrums when she doesn't get her way (life's so hard when your 14 months old)
--Off the bottle. Yeah!
--Loves books. She'll pull one book (or all of them) off the shelf and bring it to me. If I'm sitting on the ground, she'll turn around about a foot away from me and back up into my lap. Brandon use to do the same thing. I have to resist the urge to start beeping like a truck when she does that.
--Doesn't use any real words yet, but points and grunts at everything. I am getting to be a good interpreter of her wants.
--Has mastered the art of standing up on a stool to reach the bathroom countertop. Says "ha-HA!" when she does this. She's very pround of herself!
--Runs down the hallway at the sight of her daddy!
--Eats everything in the house. Apparently I was preparing her lunch too slow today, so she angrily walked over to the diaper bag, got out a bag of Cheerios and brought them to me. I got the point. I hope this is just a growth spurt. We are going through Cheerios and graham crackers at an amazing rate!

Finally!

After a few weeks of illnesses (theirs), and fighting off both a cold and allergies (mine - because it was 78 degrees today! In March! Why?), I managed to get the kids in to get their pictures taken. It's only been a year! Never mind the motherhood guilt that I have because they'll only be little kids for a short while! Never mind that I got Brandon's hair cut three times before I managed to get into the studio! Just click here to see their latest pictures. They are cute kids, if I do say so myself. However, I'm a little biased, so I'll let you be the judge. What you don't see in the pictures is me, just out of view of the camera. I would put Caitlin in place, hold her, and then jump out of the picture when the photographer got to the count of "2". Although I find Sears to be fairly pricey for what they provide, the photographer did a great job of coaxing smiles out of both kids, and coaxing a natural smile out of Brandon (not the closed lip, squinty-eyed version that I usually get when I say "smile").

Another thing you probably didn't know about these pictures - I bought their outfits in September of last year (!), and yet was unable to get into the photo studio until now. Very sad. I'm a stay-at-home mom for heaven's sake! These are the same outfits they wore for Caitlin's dedication at Highway. I was quite surprised that the outfits still fit them. Pleasantly surprised that the outfits fit them much better than they did in September. They would have looked pretty goofy in these outfits had I gotten pictures done 6 months ago. Brandon's 3T shirt was almost to his knees back then! Funny how God has a way of working things out - small examples like this remind me of his perfect, yet unpredictable timing.

New Items for Caitlin

Caitlin, as you know, is our little klutz. I say this in love... but seriously, the girl falls off of everything! Sometimes, when she's just standing still, she'll all of sudden sway, and then fall over! It's the funniest thing! I'm not amused by the end of the day, though, when she's clonked her head on the floor for the 47th time. I'm the mom at the playground in the afternoons showing very little sympathy when my daughter falls over yet again on the tanbark. Body by Jell-O.

I was poking around on the internet this afternoon, and found a few great items that would come in handy for Caitlin management. May I present.....

Item #1: The Thudguard

















yes, folks, it's a hardhat for your baby. My baby really needs this. At the cost of almost $40.00, though, she's not going to get it. Maybe I should invest in this, now that I'm thinking about it. The gymnastics lessons later on are going to cost a lot more.

Item #2: The Babykeeper
Laugh if you must (I did). But I could really use this. A place to put my other kid in the restroom? What joy! I've lost count of the number of times I've had to hold a struggling child in a public bathroom when Brandon has to use the toilet. Now that Caitlin is walking, I've put her down when I need to help him. As usual, she inevitably falls down and begins to crawl on the bathroom floor. Gross! Her hands always get washed last. Otherwise, she'd be gross again before we even got out of the restroom! There is a reason I love the bathroom at IKEA - wall seats. Brandon loves the little toilet and little sink. Just his height. I'm still all about wall seats. Let's just hope they come out with the ToddlerKeeper and the GradeSchool Keeper, in case Caitlin's walking skills don't improve much in the future.


And, last but not least ....

Item #3: The baby mop

Heck - if she's gonna keep falling on the floor I might as well put her to good use! :-)

If Ever I....

Brandon has a lot of odd sayings - mostly gotten from reading his "Thomas the Tank Engine" books. He will say things like "presently Caitlin came in my room", or "get on you". Once he even said "oh, bugger!" You'd think I was raising a little British boy! His latest odd saying: "If ever I..." as in, "if ever I should not see you I will just call your name", or "if ever my sandal comes off, I will just bend down and put it back on." Is this my kid? Do I talk like that? Are we watching too many British programs? I just don't know. He only does this for me. I'm not British!