Our couch, the jungle gym.

It is going to be a sweet day when we go to someone's home & the kids start climbing all over the couch. It is their 'favorite' toy. Seriously. They can climb on & off of it for hours.

Why?

Daddy started a game called 'Baby Loco'. This game consists of the kids getting on the window sill behind the couch, flinging themselves over the back & Daddy throwing them to the ground. Course, there is a pillow down there for the kids to fall on. They go crazy doing this!

Since the inception of Baby Loco, the kids now try to find anything that will help get them over the couch. Sometimes it is 1 of their chairs, other times it is a stool but most often, it is the little round table. It's too much like a mini-ladder & perfect for little feet.

Here is a series of photos of the girls playing on the couch. Lord, help us.

The Zoo...our 1st family fieldtrip!

It took a weekend of planning, a day of packing & lots of double checking things but we finally went out as a family to the zoo. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful day or better company. Adrienne, Jack, & Lizzie met us up there. Honestly, I don't know if we would have enjoyed it quite as much w/o them there. I think this should be an annual event (hint, hint, wink, wink...A).

What we weren't planning for was 10 gazillion schools to also come. I thought for sure that they wouldn't come out on a Monday & right before state testing. Do-oh. I was way off. WAY.OFF.

But, that didn't stop us from getting to see all the big, beautiful animals. Not at all. It started w/ the seals. They were the coolest! Then we went on to the giraffes, elephants, tigers, bears, & lions. The kids were absolutely FASCINATED by the creatures. They knew the animals b/c we have been discussing them & watching videos before bed.

Of all the moments, & I'm telling you there were A.LOT. of moments, the best was when Ian saw the elephant. His face, priceless. He wouldn't stop making his elephant sound. Not for a long time. He may not be able to say elephant but he sure can tell us all about it!

I'm not going to bore you w/ all the animal pics, except for one. This was our trip.

Daddy getting tickets. A special thanks to Miss Jane for giving us 2 adult passes for free entrance!


Daddy w/ the kids & the seals right behind them.


The crew! Adrienne & Jack were fantastic when it came to dealing w/ our kids & jumped right in to help.


The 1 animal shot I am going to share w/ you. Isn't he gorgeous!?!


Our monkey backpack/harnesses really came in handy & gave the kids an opportunity to walk around.


Our 1 & only family pic. I love it! Hook 'em Horns!


Our kids actually sat still long enough to get some group shots. Isn't Miss Lizzie a doll? She was so well behaved. We were completely impressed & had a blast w/ our friends.



We ended the day eating, our 1st time ever to eat out w/ the kids. No high chairs, nu-thin. The kids did pretty darn well!



PS ~ The only thing forgotten was me putting on deodorant. How embarrassing! Thank God I didn't stink, haha!

Hives it is...or should I say "was".

After the many comments & talking to the nurse, the conclusion is that Ian had an allergic reaction to something he likely ingested. Now, what that 'something' is, we may never know. I have narrowed it down to 2 possible things, 1) bad deli turkey slices, or 2) hackberry tree berry.

I'm not even sure about the latter of the 2 but if we were outside & he found one, it may be that he ate it. I read up on them & they don't seem to be poisonous. The nurse believes we may never know for sure.

The good? The Benadryl cleared it up so quickly that the nurse said it was a mild reaction. Um. Did you see the pics? That doesn't look mild to me but then again, I've never experienced an allergic reaction to ANYTHING. Never seen hives. Didn't know what was happening yesterday when I saw his leg & butt cheeks. All I know is that I called my mom & told her I didn't think I had the stomach to be a mommy anymore.

That's how upsetting it was to me. Fear of the unknown. Especially w/ Ian. I am glad to report, I have owned my mommy-ness & do think I am good one, albeit a bit skittish at times.

Thank you all for your comments!

Allergic reaction to something...need opinions!

We went outside today but I didn't notice anything until after the kids woke up from their nap. I know there are a ton of you out there reading this & just may have some insight as to what happened to Ian today.

Here is a picture of what I saw when they woke up & I went to change his diaper.



Here you can see a couple on the back of his calves. Not nearly as severe as the one on his thigh.



Needless to say, I freaked out. I know Benadryl has a window of opportunity to work, right? Don't know how long that window is but I started praying that it would do the trick. After I took the pics, I drew a line around the affected area.

It was slightly raised, not much. There was definitely a red ring around the outermost part, which you can see in the pictures & then went white as it went inward. The affected area was warm to the touch. He also had 2 round areas, symmetrical, on each butt cheek. NO. I didn't take pics of those. This is enough to embarrass the lad as it is.

With an hour of the Benadryl, it was all gone. Nothing to point to where the affected area was except for my pen marks. Not even so much as a dot for a bite mark.

The mystery...what in the world caused this?!?

I don't think it was mosquitoes. Although Ian is sensitive to mosquito bites, it has never looked like that. No where near. My neighbor suggested fleas or chiggers, maybe ants. The thing is that this was definitely in an area covered by clothing, clothing & diapers, or socks & braces so I'm even wondering if it happened outside.

Anyone have any ideas out there? I would LOVE to figure it out b/c obviously he had an allergic reaction to it. HELP!

Sewing for my girls & their dolls :)

So, I have an addiction. It's called sewing. I like to find patterns & sew cute stuff for my girls. With the leftover fabric, I'm sewing their babies clothes too. This shirring top I made was a bit of a disaster. The instructions, although good, wouldn't work all that well w/ my big gun sewing machine. Betty Brother doesn't like elastic thread. Not at all.

Thankfully Sally Singer doesn't mind it so much. I still haven't gotten the hang of it. I need more practice. But for now, the girls have a cute top to start with & their dolls match them.



Can you see the babies tucked under Sofi's arms? She was dancing w/ them! So cute!


Now, I need to figure out something for Ian. Maybe cute shorts? He's getting jipped!

Planting our Victory Garden

I've always wanted to have a green thumb & grow a garden. I'm no expert & can't say that I'm really any good at it but I try. I've never tried to grow anything that would result in us eating any of the products but this year, I have decided to tackle my dream. Why not?

There seems to be a resurgence of victory gardens & I'm joining the movement. Cheesy, maybe. Worth the trouble, we'll have to see. The fun we had putting the plants in our new garden, worth it again & again & again.

See, I decided to make this a family event. Why? B/c I want my kids to start learning about the world in general, starting in our backyard. Off to Home Depot I went. I bought a few veggies, nothing too crazy, being that it is our 1st garden. Then we go the kids ready for outside. Lots of mosquito repellent now that the heat has arrived.

Meme, Abu, Oma & Katy were over hanging out when we started the project. The kids were so excited!


They each wanted their own tool & loved the wheelbarrow.


Sofi was hard at work, helping me.





The kids really got in to it, crouching down like Mommy & putting plants in the ground.


One of our cherry tomato plants.


Some lettuce!


Our cucumber plant, 1 of 4.


The finished product!


We will hopefully be growing the following:

1. Tomatoes (regular & cherry)
2. Onions (sweet white & yellow)
3. Cucumbers
4. Bottleneck yellow squash
5. Lettuce (regular & Romaine)
6. Banana peppers
7. Carrots
8. Pumpkin

I promise to show the "fruits" of our labor!

Pink Eye & a Fever

That's what's going on in this house. No time for anything as Ian seems to be SUPER clingy. I couldn't even eat today until my inlaws came over. Seriously. That bad.

It all started 2 days ago. Ian's eye was watering, chalked it up to allergies or a scratch b/c only God really knows, right. Sunday rolls around & by mid-morning, he had gook coming out of his eye. Not really yellow or green but gook all the same. We suspected pink eye & called the nurse hoping they would call in the antibiotic drops but NOOOOO. They made us come in.

All to be told it was pink eye. Then today at about 11, I noticed he felt warm. Took his temp & it was 100.6. Low grade fever. Wonder if he picked something up at the pedi's office yesterday since they MADE us go in. Yeah. I'm pissed.

Thankfully it has only gotten up to 100.6 & quickly lowered w/ each dose of Tylenol. It sucks. Pink eye & fever. I'm hoping it passes quickly b/c momma is going to be waking up every 4 hrs to check on Mr. Ian.

Oh, & let's not forget about Miss Crankypants, Sofi. Since she is in the throws of cutting her bottom 2-yr molars, life is grand. BUT, I rather stop everything & cuddle her or Ian or Gabi than anything else.

Bye-bye!

There is a game that the kids love to play. Well, it's not really a game, per say. What it really is, pretend play. The love pretending to leave. It is the funniest thing ever. Ok, so maybe it isn't so funny to all of you but to me, I crack up every time.

For real, they get totally in to it. Seriously in to it. First, they gather all their belongings. Everything they can grab in to their little hands. It is soooo cute. Any bucket, bag or otherwise mentionable that can be carried from the shoulder or arm is grabbed.






Then it is time for goodbye hugs & kisses. So adorable! If they miss someone, they go back around & kiss/hug them.

Finally, they say "bye-bye". In Gabi's case, she says "Bye-bye! See ya soon!" or "Bye-bye! I wub you. See ya soon!"

All of it makes my heart melt. Every single moment.

To the Paci Nazi, with Love

And the lyrics...tee-hee!

Time after school play on my computer my nuki never leaves my mouth even on the playground or on the rollercoaster I never take my nuki out.

Nuki nuki nuki how I love my nuki I'll smile with it to the end nuki nuki nuki sweeter than a cookie I'll share it with you all my friends.

Nuki nuki nuki how I love my nuki I'll smile with it to the end nuki nuki nuki sweeter than a cookie I'll share it with you all my friends.

All around the world places that you are my nuki never leaves my mouth big and strong I'll be when I'm older but I'll never take my nuki out.

Nuki nuki nuki how I love my nuki I'll smile with it to the end nuki nuki nuki sweeter than a cookie I'll share it with you all my friends.

Mama nuki mama nuki I can see you on the paws grandma nuki grandma nuki simple man or mickey mouse.

Nuki nuki nuki how I love my nuki I'll smile with it to the end nuki nuki nuki how I love my nuki I'll share it with you all my friends.

Nuki nuki nuki how I love my nuki I'll smile with I to the end nuki nuki nuki sweeter than a cookie I'll share it with you all my friends.

Nuki nuki nuki how I love my nuki I'll smile with it to the end nuki nuki nuki sweeter than a cookie I'll share it with you all my friends.

PS ~ Thank you Renee for sharing this. The kids absolutely LOVE it & have been dancing to it all morning.

Our picnic table!

When we are outside, the kids are playing. Sitting really isn't an option unless they are using the sidewalk chalk or sitting in the adult chairs. Oh, sometimes in their wagon & definitely sitting happening on the swings but you know what I mean. Right?

Hot weather is coming & that means early morning time outside b/c it will just be too damn hot otherwise. Yes, even w/ sprinklers it will be too hot after their nap. For this reason, I am trying to get them & me in the habit of going out at about 9:45. It is still cool & the mosquitoes, although ever present, seem to be a bit more tame at this time.

It just so happens that snack time is at 10 so this means snacks outside. The perfect excuse to get them practicing how to sit down at a big kid table & eat w/o getting up. They did fairly well although they didn't eat as much as they normally do. I have a feeling that will change once they get use to the new eating environment.

Now, I would have had some really cute pictures but somehow they got deleted. Not my fault. Ok, totally my fault. I don't know where the hell they went! Ah, poo.

Let me share some really cute pictures of the kids in bed w/ Daddy on Sunday morning instead. I always wanted the kids to crawl in bed w/ us on Sundays to watch tv. They can't exactly get in our bed since it is too high & they really would have been happier exploring the bedroom over sitting in the bed w/ us.



Maybe one day soon they'll settle down long enough to cuddle w/ us. Maybe.

2 Year Well Baby...Toddler I should say.

This morning we went in for the kids' 2 year exam. Um, I think we did good. There was some crying. Ok, lots of crying during the actual exam but otherwise the kids did fairly well. Dr. N told us they won't be bothered at all next year but that the 18 month & 2 year exams are the worst. I would agree. 100%.

Just for fun...here are each kiddo's stats when they were newborn, 1 & 2.

Miss Sofia:
Weight ~ 4lb 9oz (newborn), 20lb 13oz (1 yr), 31 lbs (yes, that is 90%)
Height ~ 17.5" (newborn), 30.5" (1 yr), 37" (eh, you read right, over 100%)

Miss Gabriella:
Weight ~ 4lb 4oz (newborn), 22lb 6oz (1 yr), 32lb 9oz (yeah, chub chubs...95%)
Height ~ 17" (newborn), 30.5" (1 yr), 36" (95%)

Mr. Ian
Weight ~ 4lb 1oz (newborn), 18lb 15oz (1 yr), 28lb 8oz (50%)
Height ~ 18" (newborn), 30" (1 yr), 35" (75%)

We have us some ginormous children. I don't mind. I'm 5'10" & Todd is 5'11". I'm just glad they got the height. YAY for big, healthy babies!

Chalk, Bubbles & Lightsabors

The perfect combination. Since we have been outside so much, we get creative. Chalk, bubbles, & a lightsabor that Todd picked up at a garage sale provide endless minutes of fun.

Gabi just couldn't get enough of the patio, bubbles, & chalk. She was the "main event" for this photo shoot.



Ian wanted in on the action so they actually worked together.


In the meantime, Sofi decided she was going to act crazy & ham it up for the camera.


Then it was time to shoot Gabi in action.



Gotta love how all the chalk ends up all over their jeans & butt.


For the record, that butterfly on the pocket is actually silver. HA!



I was playing w/ the light as the sun was starting to go down & the shadows were awesome!



I think this is one of my faves. I love Gabi's chubby hands. She was 'organizing' her chalk.


Then it was time for battle. Star Wars must run through Todd's blood b/c the kids LOVE to play w/ their lightsabor. No joke. I'll post the project Todd put together later.


After a day like that, the kids sleep well. So does Mommy.

Ring Around the Rosies

The kids love to do this! They are especially cute when they hold each other's hands & do it alone. So cute!



We are still recovering from this weekend but are so glad that we had a wonderful time w/ family & friends.

Beautiful Birthday Party!

I really couldn't have asked for it to go any better. The rain that they said was going to come, never did. The company was wonderful. The kids had a blast. The food was great! By 7pm, I was totally.exhausted. No joke. I just vegged on the couch until I went to bed.

The party had just started & the kids came down to discover they had these cool balloons tied to their chairs. It provided a good 15 minutes of straight giggles!


Right after this picture of Sofi, I asked her for her paci & she gave it to me w/o a problem. I showed her where I put it up & she happily forgot about it for the rest of the day (& no, this is not for the #@*% anonymous' benefit, just gotta share that they will be ready when they are ready).


Did I mention how much Gabi loved the balloons? The problem, for most of the day she called it a "baboon" & finally towards the end, she figured out how to say it right. So precious!


Kay-Kay (the bestest 14, almost 15 yr old in the world), my mom (Meme) & She-She (one of the greatest friends of all times) w/ Sofi.


Ian & Daddy were having fun jumping up to get the balloons.


The canopy was a popular hangout.


Miss Mia (from a set of triplets that came).


Mr. Andrew (the brother in the other set of triplets, handsome devil)!


Miss Ava (aka, Social Butterfly & the other sister in the set of triplets)


Apparently Ian & Jude were having a pretty serious conversation.


This was the cutest thing EVER. Ava & Jude were talking. Ava was very excited & waving her hands all over the place while talking. I asked her mommy, Susan, if this was normal & she said that Ava likes to talk w/ her hands. So cute!


Ava wanted in the car w/ Gabi.



All the adults feeding the kids & enjoying the back deck.




We came inside to cool off & the kids were all about the balloons.


Ian had so much fun hitting the balloon around!


Our attempt at a family picture. HA!


That's all folks, the end!