Happy Birthday, Chella!

I knew that the twins' first year would be over before I knew it... and I was right. I'm convinced that the side effect of sleep deprivation is amnesia. Funny how even those endless nights are just a distant memory now. What I do remember (and cherish) is watching our little, tiny babies grow chubby thighs and cheeks, give first smiles and giggles, get first teeth, first finger foods, first hair cuts, first words, first rolling, then crawling, cruising and walking. First hugs, first kisses, first playing...and fighting. We've seen the incredible transformation of their personalities and the fascinating and polarizing differences between them. Yet, you can just tell they love each other. We are incredibly lucky and blessed to have two very special little people who add so much to our lives.

ELLA, while intense and reserved at first, has developed a more outgoing, happy disposition. Once the "easy" baby, she has now become the more "demanding" baby (good thing she's so darn cute at the same time). You may have an entire conversation with her, complete with hand gestures and facial expressions, as indicated by her vocal inflection but have no idea what you just talked about. She loves a good game of peek-a-boo, which will instantly put a smile on her face. And she is quite the acrobat. She can wiggle out of most unwanted positions...like car seats, high chairs and diaper changes. I'm pretty sure we have a gymnast on our hands. Hopefully that doesn't mean she'll be a climber too...

CHASE has been and continues to be a super-happy, super-charming baby. He loves to laugh and smile (both of which are infectious) and already looks like a little boy with his haircut and dimples. And he loves to tickle you and be tickled (who doesn't eat that up?). While he's not as graceful as his sister, Chase loves to jump (in his crib, holding on to things, on his brothers...) and throw his weight around with falling hugs and belly flops. His nicknames range from "Hercules" and "the tank" to "the chiropractor". Like the rest of him, his heart is big and soft, he just hasn't learned to control his strength yet. He is happy to occupy your lap or use you as a human obstacle course by crawling under your knees, your arms or any other space that will get him as close to you as possible...since he really just wants to love you and be loved.

This first year with the twins has been more rewarding, humorous, exhausting, and fulfilling than I ever imagined...and we still have a lifetime to go! Happy Birthday, my precious babies, Happy Everyday.

Update: What's a first birthday party without the mess of cake? Judging from their faces, I'd say they liked it! Thanks to their big brothers for decorating their cupcakes.

As a side note, their stats at their 1 year exam were: Ella is 25 lbs., 9 oz., 32" and Chase is 27 lbs., 1 oz., 32 1/2". Good thing chubby babies are cute!

Take Me Out To The Ball Game

Even though the Tooth Fairy didn't bring Blake the $100 he was hoping for when he lost his first tooth, I think she might have pulled some strings. When we were at the dentist a few weeks ago we filled out cards for the boys to enter a drawing the office is having throughout the summer. The prize? Two (very good) tickets to see the Padres. A few days ago the office called to tell us that Blake won! How perfect, since Blake also loves baseball. And a great way to top off our summer of fun.

Here is the view from our seats.

Blake, my aspiring baseball player and avid spectator.

Let's face it, baseball isn't exactly fast-paced to begin with, but this game was painfully sloooooow. Not to mention sitting for three hours in the blazing mid-day sun. Blake was begging to leave by the third inning. I attempted to satiate him with peanuts, soda and ice cream until there was finally some excitement and then Blake got his second wind. Then he informed me that he didn't want to leave until he caught a foul ball, saw himself on the jumbo tron or got a free t-shirt (talk about high expectations!). It wasn't enough that he WON the tickets. So we stayed to watch the Padres get defeated by the Braves and Blake left with his head hung low because he had to leave empty-handed. Funny enough, I actually remember feeling that disappointment as a kid. What he doesn't realize is that he may not have a free ball or shirt to commemorate this game, he will have pictures, memories and stories about our afternoon at the ball park together. Tickets: free. Memories: priceless. No matter how you look at it, we won.

YOU Made the Mess...

Today has been one of those days. Over-scheduled and pressed for time ALL DAY LONG. Not to mention life's little unexpected presents like the dog throwing up from eating from the kitchen trash...which was strewn about the kitchen. Or the half gallon of milk that Blake spilled while trying to refill his cup (and we were already running late). Or Chase's crying for most of the day courtesy of his impending teeth. Throw in the frustration of getting the kids in and out of the car, the car seats and the stroller multiple times today and then subtract naps and that's what our day was like. Lots of whining and complaining and losing patience. I know the kids felt the same way. So when Garrett threw himself in front of my bedroom door and begged me not to enter I had an inkling that something was up, but it wasn't until I saw Blake's face light up when I stopped to replace the toilet paper on the holder that I thought it best to see exactly what it was they had been up to. This is what I found.

A good, old fashioned t.p. job...with the added touch of dirty laundry!

I'll admit it was a little funny, especially since I been barking orders at them most of the day. I'm not sure if they were trying to make me laugh or push me over the edge, but I took a deep breath, reminded myself that it could have been A LOT worse, and decided to laugh it off (sometimes laughter is the best medicine). I even let them play a little longer but had one more demand for the day..."now, YOU clean it up". Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Baby Steps

I should have started a pool and taken bets as to which baby was going to be the first to walk. Chase was the first to roll over. Ella was the first to stand. Chase was the first to stand and let go.

Ella was the first to cruise furniture. Chase was the first to walk across a room with help. Ella was the first to stand up unassisted. Chase would stand alone for 10 seconds. Ella for 11.

Talk about sibling rivalry! So, which one takes the title of "first to walk"? Drum roll, please.... (pardon the sideways clip, I will try to correct the rotation when I have a chance).

Score one for the girls! Ella has been consistently taking "baby steps" daily, usually just a few at a time, and has demonstrated amazing balance. Chase is not far behind but has trouble containing himself and after a step or two and my sweet, happy boy starts bouncing and clapping with excitement, which inevitably cause him to lose his balance. But he IS proud (and very motivated to keep up with his big brothers). There's no doubt in my mind that even though Ella is the first to walk, Chase will be the first to run (and FAST). I just hope they're running in the same direction...Wish me luck, I think I'm gonna need it.

8/11 Update: Chase is officially walking now (actually it's more like shuffling)...sideways. But, hey, it gets him where he want to go!

Tooth Fairy Wanted

My kids may be ahead of the curve when it comes to size, but that sure doesn't translate into losing teeth. Blake has been anxiously awaiting losing his first tooth for months now. Most of his friends have lost at least one tooth and his permanent tooth is already coming in, but his loose baby tooth just wasn't ready to let go...until today. Here he is, proudly sporting his long-awaited gap.

And, of course, he is excitedly anticipating a visit from the Tooth Fairy tonight...I just hope he's not disappointed when he doesn't get $100 like he thinks...guess this would be a good time to straigthen that out... Congratulations, Blake!

The Great Outdoors

It was only five minutes away and it was only one night but I did have second thoughts. Not because of missing the babies (they were being looked after by grandparents) but because I could have had a night off. A quiet hotel and a good night's sleep was very tempting. But instead I opted to join Brian, Blake, Garrett and Renee for the Family Camp Out at Lake Poway. And, I have to say, I'm glad I did.

Most of all, I was looking forward to spending some quality time with Blake and Garrett since so much of my time and attention these days is focused on the twins. We all had a great time, and especially the boys. Here are some highlights:

Garrett had his first boat experience and even caught the first fish!

Blake may not have caught the first fish, but he sure caught the biggest.

Of course it wouldn't be a true camping experience without a bonfire and smores.

We celebrated Christmas in July as the boys sang Christmas songs and decorated a nearby tree with glow bracelets (which, incidentally, made a good marker for our campsite in the darkness). Here's the tree with the flash...

and without.

Blake and Garrett took advantage of the perfect stage created by the flashlight and the tent and had fun making shadow puppets (these were dinosaurs).

And sleeping in the tent topped it off.



Our campsite at dusk.

Our campsite at dawn. Hard to believe this is just miles from home.

It was a memorable night for several reasons but mostly because we were able to spend some time with Blake and Garrett doing not much more than enjoying the sights and sounds of nature and the great outdoors together...and hopefully creating childhood memories that will last a lifetime.

Lions and Dinos and Snakes, Oh My!

We made our rounds to the San Diego animal parks this week. We started off at the zoo where we saw our usual giraffes and birds for Garrett and zebras and crocodiles for Blake. We even braved the sky gondola, the reptile house (check out the picture of a real, live rattle snake)...

...and the crowds. We played "name the animal", "find the exotic lizard", and "where's dad" (since at any given time one of us was wandering the park with the stroller trying to pacify the babies who were mostly unimpressed with looking at walls and people's backsides...).

(Blake with a crocodile skeleton)

(Garrett giving gorilla hugs)

Later in the week we made our way to the Wild Animal Park where we went on an African safari and answered the age-old question that zebras are in fact black with white stripes, traveled back in time to see life-like dinosaurs (complete with realistic roars),

came nose-to-giant-paw with a napping lion,

and grew smitten with a litter of cheetah cubs...on one of the hottest days of the year so far (uhg!).

After a fun but long week of experiencing the world's ecosystems, I'll be happy if the only zoo I see is my house and animals are my children...at least for a while.

There IS Such A Thing As Too Much Fun

I should have known. Shortly after we got home this afternoon the boys disappeared. I even realized that they were in the bathroom together, but I just figured they were entertaining or reading to each other as they sometimes do. So, Brian and I welcomed the peace and quiet after a long but fun-filled week of "vacation" stuff around town. We were all exhausted, and the boys were especially so. BUT, they weren't fighting...or whining...or complaining (a departure from most of the day- and week), so we took it for what it was...quiet calm...for a precious few minutes.

Then I heard the giggling. I knew they were being silly, but what I forgot was how deliriously tired they were and not thinking straight. We were quickly reminded when Blake presented Brian with a box....

with a pile of brown and blond hair in it. The boys were busy in the bathroom giving themselves "haircuts" in their "haircut shop", or so they say. Obviously they only cut where they could see (hence the "short in front" look).

I don't know if they cut their own hair or cut each others' (and I'm too afraid to ask), but I can assure you that the next time the boys are quietly giggling in the bathroom together I will be much faster in my response. And while we all got a good laugh THIS TIME, I think they are going to have to sweat out the rest of their summers in hats until the rest of their hair needs cutting. And now we can cross "cutting their own hair" off the "things that kids will do at least once" list (and for the record, this is the second-and hopefully last- time they trimmed their own locks).

A Rock Is Just A Rock...

He has always loved digging. Even when he was a toddler, he broke so many plastic shovels that we eventually got him a real, full-sized shovel. He would dig for hours. And still does.

For most kids, digging in the dirt is just for fun. For Blake, it's fun...but it also serves a bigger purpose. It's a time when he can clear his mind, create and execute an idea, and focus ALL his energy and effort on that one thing. I used to cringe at the various stages of excavation of our yard...from his building a "pool" to trying to dig to the center of the Earth, and it took me a long time to realize (and accept) that he needs this outlet. And he loves it. So it makes perfect sense to me that Blake's passion for digging lately has been extended to a rock collection that he has carefully and proudly selected. To most people, they are just rocks and stones, but to Blake, each rock has a unique shape, color, composition and history of its existence (and you should hear some of the stories he comes up with). We have everything from "diamonds" to "moon" and "lava" rocks in our yard...who knew? In fact, Blake recently announced that he wants to be a geologist someday (thanks, in part, to the Discovery Channel's "Inside Planet Earth" which Blake watches religiously in its two hour entirety).

I'm not sure if Blake's fascination with rocks is because of what he sees on the outside or if it's because he's so curious about what is on the inside...or both (and something tells me we're going to be pulling out the wet saw soon to find out). But I have to admit that once you slow down and closely examine rocks they can be quite interesting...and if you REALLY think about it, they have a profound way of putting pretty much anything in life into perspective. Big and small.

Summer of Fun!

Having fun and not sitting around is our goal this summer. Okay, that is my goal this summer for the kids. For me, it's a fine balance of preventing our house from getting destroyed by the boys' "activities" (like the not-so-pint-size baseball diamond the boys decided to make...by digging up the grass) while not allowing them to spend the day staring mindlessly at the tv or computer. And, for sanity's sake, keeping the boredom and sibling quarreling to a minimum but not to be replaced by over-tired whining and complaining. All while having fun (said with a smile). It's an art form, really. Does anyone else see the irony of how much work it is to create "fun"?

So far, the boys have had the tribal experience at VBS, have had lots of visits with family and friends, have gone on a few excursions like hiking, are swimming like fish thanks to swim lessons and we even made our way to the County Fair to catch the Monster Truck and Transformer show (the car ride with four kids, stuck in horrendous traffic and NO bathroom was an adventure in and of itself)! Then there was the 4th of July...more fun, family, food and fireworks, of course. If being exhausted is a measure of having fun, then I think we're off the charts...

But still in store this summer is more everyday "fun" in the form of experiments and craft projects (we LOVE it when Aunt Renee comes to visit), games and journal entries, trips to the beach, the zoo, the Wild Animal Park and museums, science camp, explorer camp, VBS again (can't get enough of a good- and inexpensive- thing!), more swimming and lessons, camping, hiking and whatever else we can think of for fun. THIS is why we (pay a fortune to) live in San Diego! Hello, STAYCATION!

My little fish

Look closely...in the very last seat is little Garrett...terrified and having the time of his life!

Not too many people can say they saw a REAL, live Transformer...

The boys brought home some ideas from the carnival games at the fair...wish we thought of this before, we could have saved quite a bit of money...

The babies enjoyed their "freedom" on the 4th in the back yard baby pool

Tribal meetings, seeing monsters and making a splash. That pretty much sums up our summer so far... and LOTS of fun!