Makes My Monday: Super Daddy and Super Auntie!

This weekend, my Mother of Twins Club had their Spring tag sale and I was a seller for the second time. I didn't have too much but was eager to rid of some baby items as well as a plethora of plastic toys that my parents dump on me with each of their weekly visits. The sale is quite the undertaking and sellers have to set up Friday night and work from 6am Saturday morning until about 3pm that afternoon. In my absence, Daddy and Auntie Kim stepped in to look after the kiddos - Kim in charge of Matteo and Daddy with Sebastian and Collette.

Daddy took the kids to the mall and reported back that they behaved PERFECTLY! He braved the Rain Forest Cafe where they politely ate their whole lunch and, as a special surprise for me, got their picture taken with the Easter Bunny! Apparently, they loved him and each gave him a hug before saying good-bye. Figures, right? But I'm glad they are good for him because then he'll take them out solo more often.

Auntie Kim was stuck with Matteo. I say "stuck with" because, contrary to what I thought, he is just not that into his new sippy cup. I was able to nurse him right before I left in the morning but he still nurses every two hours so he had a hard time going down for his nap without me. When he woke up, Kim brought him down to the sale (thank goodness it's just down the street from my house!) and I filled up his little tank. Then she decided to show him off and met up with a friend of hers at a cafe in Davis Square. With a full belly, he behaved like the little angel he is.

Meanwhile, I had a great time at the sale. Saw all my big stuff go off to new homes and hopefully a lot of my little stuff sold, too. I donated everything that didn't sell because Billy would've divorced me if I came back with anything. I also picked up some new things for the kids - summer clothes, rain coats, a T-ball set, sand and water table, toy lawn motor (to match the one they already have and CONSTANTLY fight over), a few books and a toy car ramp. All in all, I know I made out on the plus side by quite a lot. Definitely a success all around.

Also, to propel myself back to regular postings, I am going to commit, here and now, to an overdue post for Matteo (he's 8 months old now!!!) and a Flat Twins post - all this week. Some of you know where the Flat Twins are but for those of you who don't, stay tuned! I have some very cute pics coming :)

Westward Ho!

Sebastian and Collette are headed west through the amazing Gateway Arch!


They were excited to see their flat selves but I'm not sure if they fully understood that Daddy took the picture on his trip. Either way, they were happy and it definitely makes Billy feel more connected to us when he is away.

Flat Twins

While Billy was on his epic Asia Tour, I had the idea to make something he could take with him from the kids when he went on long business trips. I had the idea to blend the Flat Stanley idea with that commercial where the dad takes the little girl's monkey stuffed animal with him and takes pictures of the monkey in all the cities he visits. And that is how Flat Colie and Flat Sebby were born.

Making them was easy enough, if your standards for craftiness are as low as mine. Like the silhouettes I did, I found a nice, smiling picture of each of them, cropped it and pasted it into a powerpoint document. I printed it out in color and cut out the faces.

I wasn't sure what the best size would be so I printed a smaller and bigger one of each

For the body, I went with the Gingerbread man outline. This one is free handed (as you can probably tell) but its very easy to find a nice template online.

To get the kids involved, I cut out the bodies and let them decorate it before I put the faces on. They have been really into stamps lately so that was our medium of choice. Once they finished, I glued on their faces to both sides:


They really loved the finished product, which was laminated for protection. It was actually kind of hard to get them to give them up. They gave them to Billy but then wanted them back about 4 seconds later. He had to tuck them away in his briefcase while they were napping.

Colie, admiring her flat self

Billy just left for St. Louis and will hopefully be getting some good shots of Flat Colie and Flat Sebby at the Gateway Arch. I'll be sure to post 'em when he gets back.

祝你生日快乐!

...or, "Happy Birthday!"
(since watching Ni Hao Kai Lan before bedtime, my Mandarin has really come along.)

Billy is celebrating his 35th birthday in Beijing. Although he's all alone, he's making the most of it. His goal (other than work goals, of course) on this trip is to eat as many weird foods as possible. So, for his birthday dinner he dined on this:


In case you're curious, this table included, but I'm sure was not limited to, sea horse, scorpion and silk worm. To each his own.

When he comes home, it will be a day before Sebastian and Collette's second birthday (gah!!) so we will do one big celebration that weekend. And the cuisine is sure to be much tamer. :)

Mini NaBloPoMo - Day 1

It's been really difficult for me to devote time to blogging lately (reading, commenting and especially writing) that I was looking forward to NaBloPoMo as a way to motivate myself. But naturally, November 1st came and went (along with the 2nd, 3rd and 4th) so I can't honestly participate this year. However, I have a plan to do a half-NaBloPoMo. Think of it like a half marathon. Except way easier.

I am starting today because today marks Day 1 of a 15-day solo parenting spree. That's right - me and my 3 under 2 gang are all alone for 15 straight days as Billy is on a business trip to Asia. I told him how jealous I was that he gets to go on this exotic trip and he looked at me like I was crazy. He knows that flying across the world so that you can work 12+ hour days is not a fun, exotic trip. He kept going on and on about how much he didn't want to go and how he'd miss us. Grass is always greener, and all that shit.

Since I'll be posting every day for the next two weeks, I will be piggybacking on some memes out there. I haven't done a Halloween post (I'll save that for later!), so I'll participate in LauraC's Show me the Mommy! with a little sneak preview:

Me and Tater at our Twin's Club Halloween party that I co-organized

Stay tuned to keep me honest with my mini-NaBloPoMp!

A Father's Day Project

For Father's Day this year, I figured the kids should make their own father's day gifts now that they have some motor skills. Finger painting seemed as good an idea as any and I was lucky enough to have Auntie Kim over yesterday to help out. Both Sebastian and Collette enjoyed this new activity in their own way, both staying true to their budding personalities.

"You want me to get my fingers dirty??"

"Yay! I'm making a colorful mess and no one is yelling at me!"

"OK, I'm liking this but I'll just use my fingertips."

"This paint feels so gooey ALL OVER MY HANDS!!!"

This is definitely a project we will have to repeat. They were pissed when I took the paints away but bedtime was calling and the paper was getting pretty soaked and I feared for my dining room table.

Any other "mediums" you suggest for 18 month old artists?? We tried stickers but, apparently, they look too much like snacks. Ditto for crayons.

Anniversary Celebration

Yesterday, Billy and I celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. Fun that it fell on a Friday and we were able to see each other and go out. I made reservations at an all-too fancy and all-too pricey French restaurant in Boston but it was totally worth it. We used to go out to somewhat fancy dinners a few times a month back in our DINK days. I guess once a year is OK now. :)

Naturally, we had no one to take our picture and I felt weird asking someone at the restaurant to do it - not that kind of place, IMO. Anyway, we got a decent shot of ourselves and a preggo picture of me in my slightly scandalous, no bra (yikes!) dress.

So proud of myself for rocking the stilettos at 34 weeks!

PS - I forgot to mention I had a glass of wine. My first this pregnancy, haha!

Back Home

Well, we all survived. I (very easily) made it three whole days without my kids and Billy was SuperDad. But really, did we expect anything less? Of course not.

My weekend in VA was mostly filled with baby shopping, eating, and more baby shopping. Oh, and some nursery organizing. But what else would two pregnant girls do together, honestly? Although, to change things up, we did watch Paranormal Activity which was not nearly as scary as everyone made it out to be. It was a very good time all round. I was even blessed by the cashier at Starbucks - like, the let-me-say-a-long-prayer-with-my-eyes-closed-and-holding-your-hand-amen type of blessing. So, I guess little Tater Tot is all set now. Gotta love spending time below the Mason-Dixon line. :)

Meanwhile, SuperDad took the kids to not one but TWO malls and had them eat out twice. I think it was harder than he thought it would be, but of course it's quite doable. He also nursed Sebastian's cold and sore throat and realized what a "handful" Collette is. (I love that he used that word to describe her. A euphemism if I ever heard one!) They had lots of fun while I was gone but were glad to see me come home. I made it back about 15 minutes before lights out and I have NEVER seen them so excited to see me. That must be how Billy feels when he comes home from work. It was awesome.

Sebastian eating some pasta at Papa Gino's

Billy's text when he sent me this picture:
I think I'm in over my head
Apparently, it was very hard to keep an eye on both kids at the same time. Ya think?! :)

In Da Klub

A few months back, when it was so hot I couldn't stay inside my house or go outside, I joined a very well air conditioned indoor play space. Another twin momma friend of mine joined, too, and now we kind of make a thing of it, doing a play date there at least once a week. It's been especially great as the kids get bigger and more mobile, need more room to roam.

Over the weekend, the weather was awful and I decided it was time for Daddy to experience a day in the life of a SAHM - so we all went to the Klubhouse. And took some pictures. For your viewing pleasure :)

Because I'm a good wife

That's why I missed yesterday's post. My darling husband needed my computer as he is experiencing technical difficulties with his. Actually, he is still using it now and I have revived my 5 year old computer to bring you this riveting blog post. This computer is slower than molasses on a cold day so I won't be uploading much until I can reclaim my lap top, probably by tomorrow. And because I'm being so selfless, I don't think this should count against my NaBloPoMo record. Oh, what's that? No one cares? Oh, well in that case, forget I even mentioned it.

In other Soto household technology news, I dropped my cell phone in the toilet and, after a grueling surgery and hours of revival attempts, I am sad to say that it has passed on. But it was 3 years old so it lived a long life. Unfortunately, I lost all my pictures which is actually quite a bummer. Next time I will be sure to upload them to my computer and avoid further tragedy. On the bright side, I get to buy a new phone! My grand plan is to wait for all the huge deals they have on Black Friday and get a cool one. Up until now, I have always had a cheap-o one that does the bare minimum. No I-phone or Blackberry, but maybe something with a qwerty board and that takes good pictures.

I'll be back tomorrow with baby pictures, promise!

Happy Birthday Billy!!

Billy turns 34 today!! I had a special night planned but due to some medical issues (nothing big, I promise), that had to be postponed. So, we'll just do some Indian takeout, wine and Glee. Not so bad if you ask me :) By the way, my first time celebrating Billy's birthday (the big 3-0!), I took him to Disney World. Things sure have changed...

Billy and Eeyore on his 30th birthday

Also, I am getting him a Wii - it will be part of the future "man cave" that is currently our unfinished basement. I haven't procured it just yet - running solo errands with twins is unreliable, to say the least. So, my plan is to pick it up this weekend, sans kids. For those of you out there who have the Wii, what "additions" should I get? I know there is a starter kit, but I don't know what it does. There is the Wii Fit, which I think would be cool. And then there are all the games we will need to buy - sheesh! But hey, should make Christmas easier. What are some of your game suggestions?

Anyway, a big happy birthday to the best guy I know! Hopefully he won't read this until after he gets his gift. ;)

NaBloPoMo

Before I started my own blog, I was a blog stalker - mostly of other twin moms as I was on the hunt for all the tricks of the trade.  Back then, I kept seeing this "word" - NaBloPoMo.  I couldn't fathom what it might mean so I googled it and realized it stands for National Blog Post Month.  The idea (I think...) is that you post every day, or as often as you can, for the entire month of November.  And, although I'm two days late, I'm going to do it!

I have been a very unreliable blogger lately and it isn't because I don't have stuff that I want to put into a post - it's just that I'm tired and lazy.  One of the biggest reasons I wanted to have this blog was to document my kids' lives, especially with pictures.  I figured having a blog would encourage me to take pictures of them on a regular basis and it did.  But not so much lately.  I never have my camera, they move to fast for me to get good shots, the lazy/tired thing again.  Also, there are some things taking up my mental energy that I don't think I'm ready to blog about so that has been affecting my writing as well.  Either way, I figure the cure is NaBloPoMo.  It will force me to write more, to take more pictures to go along with the posts and to focus on the stuff I want to write about instead of the things I'd rather not write about.  And November is the perfect month because, HELLO, my kids are turning ONE in less than three weeks and that is some big shit going on!  You can expect lots of posts related to party planning.  It's going to be a small affair, not at Chuck E. Cheese, but I want it to be memorable and special.  More on that to come - I need to save the details to fill up 30 more posts. :)

Also, I am thinking about forcing Billy to do more video taping since he has totally dropped the ball on that one.  Videos are probably more appropriate now since they are moving all over the place and just do funnier stuff on the move.  Maybe I will even ask him to do a guest post.  I'm not holding my breath.

Weekend Update

It was a BUSY weekend for us this weekend.  Friday night, I "worked" at our Mother of Twins club tag sale, helping set up and organize.  I was not selling anything but got to shop that night if I worked.  This also meant that Billy had to do his very first solo bed time.  Sebastian put him in his place by having a total meltdown after his bath.  But other than that, he did a great job.  I also scored big time at the sale.  Spent $100 and got two rocking horses (well, one is a unicorn), two ride on/walker toys, two toy shopping carts, a doll stroller, a bag of balls for a ball pit, two puzzles, 6 pajamas, 3 pairs of shoes, one set of hats and mittens per kid, and a couple tops.  The babies are enjoing the new toys, especially the ride on toys (that they don't ride on - they just press the buttons) and the puzzles.

The next day, bright and early, was breast cancer Race/Walk for the Cure 5K.  Our family and some friends had a team, the Breast Friends Forever, and had a fun time doing the three-mile walk in Boston's Seaport District.  FavAuntie flew in that morning from Cali and went straight to the walk to join us - and she's here with me until Wednesday so it'll be a fun week!  Collette slept through most of the walk while Sebastian cried through most of it.  But even he eventually caved.  This was one of the very few times that I messed with their naps.  We had to be there at 8am and it ended around 1030am, so they pretty much had to nap during the walk and an the way home.  All in all, it worked out fine.  As I mentioned in my earlier post, I feel more comfortable taking these chances when there are lots of helpful adults around.  Here are some pics FavAuntie picked out:

(twins are sleeping in this one, hence the blanket over the stroller)

Yesterday, FavAUntie and I took the kids to our brother's house to visit our niece and nephew.  Our nephew, Ben, turned 6 last week so we got to wish him a happy birthday.  Later, we took the kiddos to the Carter's outlet store and got some very good deals on fall clothes - 15 pieces of clothing (shirts and pants) for $43!  Not too shabby.  PS - there is an online printable coupon for 20% off any purchase over $50, good until Wednesday.

***

FavAuntie and I will probably take the babies apple picking tomorrow - gotta take advantage of her while she's here!!  So, I'm thinking apple crisp, apple muffins, maybe even an apple pie?  Gosh, I love fall!!

I proved you wrong, Daddy!

Although we are thoroughly enjoying parenthood, Billy and I feel like sometimes these infant days/weeks/months just drag. Little milestones and accomplishments seem to take forever. They start to do one thing (sleep through the night, roll over, sit up, etc.) and then it's a month later before they do the next thing. S...l...o...w.

Billy decided a while ago that they will simply never walk, talk or have teeth. Well, he was wrong on that last one. My little boy was gnawing on my finger this morning (lovely!) and I suddenly felt something sharp, Holy crap, a tooth!! Billy almost got me believing in a toothless, wordless future that I had forgotten to expect them. You can just barely see it peeking through so I can't take a picture and even if I did you wouldn't be able to see because I still haven't fixed my camera cord/computer feud.

And, in other milestone news, both Sebastian and Collette are pulling up. The other day, I caught Collette standing up in her crib (that just days before we had moved down - thank goodness!!!) while I was getting Sebastian downstairs. When I saw her, it almost scared me, like some creepy stranger had broken into the house for the sole purpose of standing her up in her crib and freaking me out. But alas, no crazy people. Just a baby girl getting less baby and more toddler every day. Sebastian, not to be outdone, has evolved from pushing up on low pieces of furniture to pulling up using taller pieces, He especially like to pull up on the bouncy seat, the part where the toys hang from - it's sturdier than it sounds and is the perfect height and shape.

Lastly, Collette is CRAWLING!! She kind of started over the weekend but yesterday was the day she really got her sheez together and covered some distance. And now, it's like old news. She does it all the time and I'm all, whatevs, you did that yesterday. But seriously, I am excited about this. She can now get to and from different toys whereas before she would just whine and we would have to change things up for her. Of course, the babies get up in each other's business more often now which results in more toy fights. And I realize this is only the beginning but I'm welcoming these changes. I don't think I will be one of those moms who mourns babyhood. I enjoy forward progress and even way back when I was just a mom-to-be, I only ever dreamed of doing fun toddler/kid things. I honestly never thought about baby things, mostly because I never knew any babies. So, bring it toddlerhood!! I'm ready! :)

And here are a couple pictures that I lifted from my cousin's FB page - thanks Brett!! We were enjoying a Labor Day BBQ - I'll post on that tomorrow now that I have lots of pics to steal.

Proud to be an American (almost...)

Billy got his green card yesterday! Hurrah!!

We had to go into Boston for the interview and, as is life, there was no shortage of hassle. You have to go through security to enter the building, much like an airport except they let you keep your shoes on. We had decided to bring the babies with us since we figured there is no better proof of our relationship than them. With the two of us, it wasn't too bad getting everything and everyone through.

Once we made our way to the appropriate room and Billy got in line, the fire alarm went off and the building went on lock down. Everyone was evacuated. As luck would have it, the exit next to us was no handicap accessible (read as: not stroller accessible) so I had to go all the to the other end (where we came in) and go out that way. After 15 minutes outside, on the hottest day of the year, they let us back in. Only now I was alone (Billy had to stay in line by the other exit) and had to carry two babies through security, while people stared at me like I nuts. In their defense, it would have been a little nutty to plan to do this alone.

The interview went well, the babies (mostly) behaved and the nice immigration officer approved Billy's green card request. So, he is now a resident. Not an American citizen but close. I'm thinking of making one of those American flag cakes. Billy may take offense, though, which kinda makes me want it even more.

Now we just have to get the babies their dual citizenship in El Salvador and we will be done with government forms and meetings and the like for many years.



PS - the woman who manned the desk at the immigration interview room looked exactly like the Crypt Keeper. No lie. And she acted like she might be part dead, too. Do you ever think that just maybe, certain people are simply unemployable? And that the government finds all those people and gives them jobs? I kinda feel bad for those government workers who are actually good at their jobs. These zombie people are totally giving them a bad rap.

Staycation

The Soto family is on a staycation of sorts. Billy is between projects, working for the Man, so he took this week off. We may have made plans to go somewhere (maybe some place where it doesn't rain all the time) but it was so last minute that his vacation had to be a simple staycation.

What that means for me is that I pretty much get to do the same thing I always do except I only have to do half the work. Roughly. I won't keep score. And despite the rain, we are trying to make the best of what the area has to offer. We went to the Stone Zoo on Monday. The sun was out and babies were in a good mood. The zoo doesn't have much but it was fun enough - at least a new place to push around the stroller. The highlight was seeing a jaguar throw up. Hot.

Billy with the twins, saying hi to the dying reindeer. (OK, he wasn't dying, he was just losing his hair and growing new antlers for summer, but it looks a lot like dying.)

Yesterday was a total wash out - literally, crazy down pour T-storms in the afternoon. We had planned on doing lunch out with the babies after picking up our CSA share. But, Billy had to take some weird, cryptic call for work with some lawyers and he was supposed to be in a "quiet place where no one could hear him." He figured he could just take the call from the car while I walked around the shops with the babies. Well, the rain was so bad we couldn't even get out of the car to go into the restaurant. So, he took the call from the car, in the parking lot of the shopping plaza with the rain so loud that I was sure he couldn't hear a word those lawyers were saying. And then the thunder and lightning got the babies all worked up and I was in the back trying to keep them from crying hysterically. Good times.

Not sure what's on the docket for the rest of the week. We're hoping to go to the beach, or at least the shore and eat some good seafood. 'Tis the season for fried clams and lobster rolls. And on Sunday, the twins will be baptized - I'll be sure to report on that, of course!

So, if you don't see me here for a few more days, it's because I am spending quality time with my family.



PS - I totally need a new camera. I have photo-envy of all those other bloggers out there. Any suggestions??

Makes My Monday: 7 months!

Yesterday, Billy had to share his special day with twins - they turned 7 months old!! I have to say, this has been the BEST month so far. They sleep through the night - thank you CIO! - and they have a great eating/nap routine. A few weeks ago, they were able to sit up for a few seconds at a time and I predicted that by the 7-month mark, they would be sitting unassisted at least long enough to play with some toys. Lo and behold - they do! I still need some good shots of it but everyday, they can do it better and longer. It's life changing, I swear!

Also, solid food feeding has gotten easier. They tolerate their high chairs more and I can actually clean up while they chill out and play with some toys. I can't get 15 minutes out of them like some other people but I'll take 5 minutes. You'd be surprised how much you can get done in the kitchen in 5 minutes!

In other gross motor development, Sebastian is really starting to push up on the heels of his hands. Collette can do it a little but not as much - she doesn't like to spend much time on her belly so she gets way less practice. I think I will need to invest in some more toys as they start these new moves - sitting, "crawling" and, in a few months, pulling up.

Fine motor development is going well, too. They can put their binkies in their mouth and are much more deliberate in their grabbing. They both love to scratch and grab faces - I have evidence of it on my upper lip. And when sitting, they can easily pick up small toys and put them in - you guessed it! - their mouths. They also notice each other and will each for the other's face, scalp, arm, etc.

And of course - their chair pictures. It was Collette's turn to cooperate while Sebastian protested. Gotta love twins!

Needless to say, this is one great Monday! What's making your Monday? Let us know at Twinfatuation. All the cool kids are doing it.

PS - This Monday also rocks because I did my first ever guest post!! Check me out at How Does YOUR Garden Grow to get an awesome strawberry rhubarb crisp recipe. They also have tons of other great recipes that use local ingredients. Yum!

BPS - Happy Father's Day, Daddy!!

Happy Father's Day, Daddy! You're the bestest!