It's summer time and we are feelin' fine.

I have to start with our newest milestone. Jordan pooped on the potty last night! Not a lot (sorry for that gross little tidbit of information), and not on purpose, but he did it! We are in the midst of starting potty training. We offer the kids the opportunity to sit on the potty, and they usually refuse. And we are ok with that. We don't want potty training to be stressful or forced, so we are laying low. Jordan asks to go on the potty more than Taylor, but I think that is more about getting into the bathroom and then asking to wash his hands and brush his teeth, than about really wanting to use the potty. But, he pees on the potty a few times per week, including at daycare, which is great. Taylor usually refuses, or she sits, but does nothing. I think we have a long road ahead of us on this one, but if they are potty trained (or at least a lot closer than they are now) by the time they are three, I will be ok with that. If we are in the same place we are now in about 9 months, I will not be thrilled.

Summer is flying by, but it feels more like winter in Berkeley with all the rain we have had. Not thrilled about that. But, we have made the most of it and have still had some fun adventures. We went to Bristol, RI for 4th of July with my mom, to reinvent the yearly familiy tradition. It was lots of fun and we hope to do it again next year. The kids did really well and even sat and watched the 3+ hour parade with us. Mimi bought them balloons and toys, they had lots of yummy treats to eat, so they were happy!

We also went to visit friends on the Cape for a few days, which was great. Very relaxing. I recently came across the term "chillaxin," which was just what we did when in Cape Cod. We chillaxed with our friends, drank wine, went in the hot tub, went to the beach and spent a day in P-town. Awesome!

We made it to Pride in VT this year. A bit lackluster compared to SF, but it was quaint and we were glad we made it. Lisa and Robin came up from Boston for the weekend to attend Pride with us. We were all proud together!

In a few weeks we are heading to Florida for a week at Disneyworld with Bill and his family. We are so excited to have a week with my brother's family and for the kids to be together. We are all staying at Saratoga Springs in their new treehouses that sleep 9. They are gorgeous!

Will end for now. Have lots of pics to post as usual. Never seem to get around to them. But, with our brand new Dell laptop that we orderded (and that has already been shipped! SQUEE!!), I hope that all things computer and internet related will not only be easier but lots faster. It is time to retire the dinosaur that we bought for Penny to start grad school sometime around 2002.

Gotta Love It!

There is a great blog that I have been reading recently called Freebies 4 Mom. There are tons of cool things on there that you can get for free. Check her out at www.freebies4mom.blogspot.com

One very cool freebie that she has listed now is a 50% off coupon for e.l.f. cosmetics. They have tons of cool stuff, for super cheap, that is getting lots of great reviews. I ordered 15 different things for a grand total of $14.45, including shipping! Wow! I have lots of old make-up that I hardly ever wear. Such is the luxurious life of a mom with twin toddlers! I hate to throw things away to replace them, though, as it hardly seems worth it. Well, for under $15, I guess I can chuck some of the old stuff that would likely give me an eye infection if I used it again anyway!

So, go check out Freebies 4 Mom and get some nice new cosmetics for cheap!

Sweet sweet relief!

Want some free chocolate? Well then, go here and get some!

https://secure.realchocolate.com/default.aspx?ar=1

Free chocolate every Friday. Up to 4 coupons per household! I got one a few weeks ago. Already got the coupon and have a lovely Twix bar waiting for me at home in the fridge. And I just got another free coupon today that should be on its way to me in a few weeks! Yay!

No, Mama! Me do it!

I think the day they turned two a button was thrown wherein they began being their lovely "terrible two" selves. And people say three is worse. God help me! If we put them in the high chair, or in the car seat, or in the crib, or on the changing table, you can hear "ME DO IT! reverberating through our house. They want to then climb down, attempt to do said activity ("Me climb up!"), and then either have some success or ask for help. It is maddening and time consuming and yet endearing all at the same time. They are both great climbers and it is so cute to see them do it themselves, little butts in the air. But taking double time for everything is crazy making. I guess we should either 1) just let them climb up from the beginning or 2) go to the time store and buy some more because this takes a long time and I could really use a few more hours in the day!

Mimi is coming for a visit from FL next week and she is staying for 3 weeks! I am thrilled and also nervous. I hope she does not get too bored and that we do not want to kill each other by the end of it. I am so excited for the kids to get to be with her for such a long time. It will be awesome for all of us. And, I know that our house will be clean and we will eat GOOD! My mama is super helpful when she visits and OMG are we ever grateful. Penny and I are going to a B&B in Stowe for one night next week and we are so excited. Mimi says she is up to the task of having the kids on her own (probably for about 20 hours), so we are taking her to task. We are using a bedandbreakfast.com gift certificate that we got as a gift from friends Sarah and Sarah when I was pregnant. We never used it and it never expired, so we are going away and it will only cost us about $50 out of pocket. How freakin' awesome is that? Thanks Sarah and Sarah! Penny and I are also going to go out to dinner, maybe see a movie, and go to a paint your own pottery place in Stowe the next day. All that free time? My god, can you stand it?

And then next weekend my brothers and their people (Tim: gf Cara, Bill: Wife Michelle, and kids Kelly and Will) are all visiting and staying with us. It will be a full house for sure, but I am so excited for us to all be together. It will be Father's Day weekend, which will be hard as usual. But, we will celebrate Bill being a father and we are going to have a joint birthday party for all the spring-summer-fall birthdays (Michelle, Taylor, Jordan, Kelly, Will, Tim, Penny, Bill). That's a lot of birthdays! Hope for good weather so we can be outside with the kids and they can play in the kiddie pools, play house, sandbox, and water table. Bill and Michelle have a little bouncy house that blows up and they are bringing that, too! Awesome!

I have so much more to say, since I hardly ever blog anymore, but I will stop here for now.

Things I want to post about: Disney Trip in September, being a Creative Memories Consultant, trying to buy a house, the new daycare center. And I want to post lots of pics, like birthday pics, funny recent pics, and even pics from Disney last year. I hate to bring up what a slacker blogger I am in every damn post, but if the shoe fits? Ya know you gotta wear it.

TGIF everyone. We are going to a birthday BBQ on Saturday and having a scrapbooking party on Sunday. Oh, and we gotta clean the house for Mimi's arrival on Wednesday. That is a tall order and a busy weekend!

Happy Birthday, my loves.

Jordan and Taylor are 2 years old today. My oh my how the time flies. We had a lovely birthday party with friends and family, that even included a bunch of kids. Last year's party was all adults and the kids were only 1, so they hardly knew the difference. This year, we had other little ones and it was more chaotic, for sure! I wondered if we should have had some games planned. We did not have any games, but I think it still went well.

We had a cute animal theme and gave out cute goody boxes. Our friends and family were incredibly generous and the twins were blessed with an abundance of awesome new stuff. Thank you everyone! I made cupcakes for the kids at the party. Jordan blew out his big "2" candle, but Taylor needed a little help. She wanted to grab the flame, but did not quite grasp the concept of blowing out the candle. Oh well. Next year, maybe. I also made an awesome rainbow cake that came out looking very psychadelic and very cool! We took lots of pics, so I will get some up later this week. I know what you are thinking...promises, promises. No really, I will get the pics up. I want to get back into blogging and this is just the time to do it.

And, so I always remember the kids at this age, I want to write a few things down here about each of them. Unfortunately, this is the closest we get to a baby book. Lame, right? Oh well. Such is life with twins. Anyhoo...

Jordan is pretty advanced in his physical skills. He likes to run and climb and can jump with both feet off the floor. Jordan is often heard saying, "No help! Me do it!" He is stubborn and obstinate and willful and he gives us a run for our money! We are learning ways to work with him so that we stay sane and he feels like he is getting a chance to try things and master them in his own way and in his own time. Imagine how tough this is when you are trying to get someplace, anyplace, quickly. Jordan is also so so cute and loveable and, once he thinks it was his idea in the first place, he loves to give hugs and kisses. His little "Wuv you, mama" just melt me! Jordan finally recognizes that he is named Jordan and not Taylor and he sounds so cute when he says his own name. He has learned how to climb out of the crib, but does not do it on a regular basis. I think we are on the verge of toddler beds. Jordan is learning about the potty and sometimes asking to go on it. We are making progress. Jordan loves to eat fruit, cheese, and all things sugary and carby. He loves yogurt and spaghettios and applesauce and berries.

Taylor is a little imp and a ham and she loves to test us. She gets a gleam in her eye when she knows she is doing something she is not supposed to, but she knows she is going to do it anyway. She tries to keep up with her brother, but is not quite as skilles physically yet. She can climb up into her high chair and surprised us all by climbing out of her crib and meeting Mommy in the bathroom on Easter morning. Penny from the bathroom: "Chris? Did you take Taylor out of her crib?" Me: "No. Why?" Penny: "Because she is standing in front of me in the bathroom!" We did not even hear a sound as she slid stealthily from her bed. See what I mean about her being an imp? Taylor loves to snuggle and looks to us for kisses to make it all better when she gets a boo-boo. She wakes up slowly in the mornings and likes to rock with mama as she wakes up. I am only too happy to oblige, as her warm sweet-smelling body comes alive for another day...except on those mornings when she is not so sweet smelling! Taylor loves macaroni and cheese (but only from a can. EW!). She also loves bananas, grapes, and berries, and yogurt, and toast (but not the crust. Where do kids all of a sudden learn not to like crust?) She likes chicken nuggets, especially when there is ketchup for dipping. She also loves popcorn, which, unfortunately, she refers to as p*o*r*n!

These two kids are amazing and make us laugh all the time. Both kids have really started talking a lot more recently and they say new words all the time, some of which we did not even know they knew! When they see us at daycare pick-up, their eyes light up and we know we are doing something right as we navigate the world of parenting. We laugh when they say funny things, like when Jordan called Taylor "honey!" the other day. But, we also remember the heartache of 27 months of trying to get pregnant. Today, on their birthday, we remember how very lucky we are that Taylor and Jordan found their way to us eventually. Happy 2nd Birthday, monkeys. Mama and Mommy love you so so much! We hope you have many many hours of fun in your new playhouse with the slide (that took an UNBELIEVABLE amount of time and people to put together) that we bought you for your birthday. Thanks to Mimi for chipping in on this, to make such a cool gift possible!

Birthday Eve

It is the night before the twins' 2nd birthday. Techincally, their birthday starts in 40 minutes, as it is 11:20 pm on May 9th, 2009. I am the only one awake. The kids are asleep. Penny and the pets are asleep. Our friends and their toddler are asleep upstairs, too. The cupcakes are baked and cooling. The house is clean. We are ready for the party tomorrow. Well, I still gotta bake the rainbow cake in the morning. No problem! :) Look for pictures later in the week.

We had a hard week here this week. It was the 11th anniversary of my dad's death, and I was kind of surprised how raw my emotions were about it, even still after 11 years. I think they might always be like that, perhaps more dull as the years go by, but right there under the surface, ready to bubble up whenever I give them any attention. I still miss him so so much. Our red bird is back again this year. We are still calling him Bill, and now the kids do, too.

The kids are starting at a new daycare on Monday. It is a home center that will save us $700 per month! We cried this week about the end of the kids' time at their current center, as they are so loved there. Jordan and Taylor clearly loved it there and we are sad to be taking that away from them. We are sad to leave the amazing women of Playcare behind, as they so clearly adored our children. But, it is time for a change, even though it sucks to be changing for a financial reason. We can't continue to pay more for daycare per month than our rent, when we are struggling month to month to pay the bills. The new place is great, although a little more out of the way. Healthy meals are included and the space is really great. There are only 4 other kids there right now, so the numbers are low, too. J&T went there for a 1/2 day visit last week. The provider made them cupcakes for their birthday, and sent them home with framed handprint art for us for Mother's Day. Wow! We were impressed. So, think of us on Monday. I hope the transition goes well and none of us are any worse for the wear.

And now, I must go to bed, to rest up for the big day tomorrow. My babies are turning two years old tomorrow. I am somewhat stunned. How did this happen? Really? Have we been doing this mom thing for two whole years already? Sometimes it seems as if they were just born and sometimes it seems as if they have been here forever.

I will leave you with the text from the post I made almost exactly two years ago today, at around midnight on May 9th, 2007. We had no idea what we were in for!

**Hello everyone. It's a big day for news here!

Last week I had an amnio to check for lung maturity of the babies. Not sure what they measure, but a level of 55 indicates lung maturity. Our results came back at 54, whch they told us means that our babies' lungs would finish maturing this week. Yay! Both babies were still head down at the amnio.

I saw my OB today. And, after finally being head down for a few weeks, including last Thursday when I had the amnio, the babies are breech again! The OB and I were shocked when we saw both heads high up in my abdomen on the ultrasound! Also, my blood pressure was a bit up and I had protein in my urine. (I am not really sure what protein in the urine means, other than that it is not good. But, did they see some pork chops or chicken breasts in my urine, or what??)

Since the babies were measuring 6 and 8 lbs (at the last ultrasound on 4/25), they scheduled me for a C-Section THIS THURSDAY MORNING! We have to call in tomorrow evening to make sure the scheudle has not gotten too crazy. If things are a go, we have to be at the hospital on Thursday morning at 7 am.

Penny and I are scrambling to get the last minute things done. Holy Cow! We are gonna have two babies in less than two days! And we are gonna be moms by mother's day! Unreal! We will post news when we can after that. Watch this space for pictures and news. We will try to post as quickly as we can, but know that with a C-Section, we will be in the hospital for about 3-4 days.**

Good News in VT spurs a return to blogging!

Well, this blog has been sorely lacking in posts and activity recently, but I want to make a concerted effort to change that. So, on the day after VT made history, I have made a pledge to revive this blog!

Yesterday VT became the first state in the country to have Same Sex Marriage legalized by the Legislature! After being approved by the Senate and the House, the bill went to the Governor who, unfortunately, vetoed the bill. Boo Hiss! The bill went back to the Senate and the House for veto override votes. It was a landslide in the Senate, but VERY close in the House. The House needed 100 votes to override the veto and the final count was 100 to 49! Phew! Close call! We are thrilled to be living in this state at such an exciting time. We had a Civil Union in VT in 2004, but are now planning to get married sometime this fall to further secure rights for us, our kids, and our family. We will likely have a small ceremony and then maybe a big BBQ with friends and family to celebrate. Stay tuned!

Thank you Vermont Legislators for your bravery and your commitment to equal civil rights for all. Our family is proud to be Vermonters today! Check out how happy we were at Disney World in September... We are even MORE happy today, if you can even imagine that!

December still had some more suckage!

Unfortunately, as the month of December wore on, we had a bit more crap to deal with. The back windshield on the other car (the minivan) was shot out as well, about a week after the first car was hit. It seemed that perhaps we were being targeted, and we worried it was for being gay. (There is also a possibility that these acts were done by a hunter who was hunting RIGHT IN OUR BACKYARD a few weeks before this all happened. He was in our yard, with his gun, not even in the woods. P went out on the deck and asked him to please not hunt in our yard, since we have animals who go outside and two little kids. He said he had an agreement with the previous owners that it was ok for him to hunt there. We told him they had sold the house. He said no problem and we thought we were done with it. We later found out from the previos owners that they had had no such agreement with anyone! So, maybe this hunter was pissed and decided to shoot out our car windows to teach us a lesson. If so, what an effing bastard!) We filed a police report, got the window replaced, and sent out a message to the neighbors. Apparently our road is known for being a place where teens from the nearby high school like to drive fast and be reckless. Several neighbors over the years have had mailboxes smashed (some several times as the boxes are replaced), car windows shot out, and other vandalism. We were encouraged to park our cars as close to the house and far away from the road as possible to prevent whatever future damage we could. We are doing this as much as possible, but it gets harder and harder as the winter goes on and the snowbanks in the driveway get bigger and bigger. Unfortunately, we felt under attack and as if we had no way to protect ourselves, since we do not have a garage. The total cost to us for the windows to be replaced was $730. Money we absolutely did not have. Hello Mr. Plastic. Ugh! We have not had any more problems since then, knock on wood, and hope to be out of the woods on this.

We have taken a few additional precautions, however, which include keeping the house and the cars locked at all times, even when we are home, and renaming this blog to remove our last names and the name of the town in which we live. It sucks to have to be so nervous and maybe even paranoid, but it is a crazy world we live in, and with two small kids, I guess we can't be too careful.

We had a lovely Christmas with Bill and his family in NY and my mom even flew in for the occasion! I will try to get some pics up from the holiday soon. Happy New Year's eve to you all. I hope 2009 is a good one and that your 2008 ended on a better note than ours did this year.

One in a million

Here's an opportunity that is free, worthwhile, and seemingly easy. Oh, and hey, wouldn't it be cool to say you were part of the research that found a cure for breast cancer?


Dr. Susan Love Research Foundation and the Avon Foundation have joined forces to launch the Love/Avon Army of Women. The goal is to recruit one million healthy women of every age and ethnicity to participate in research that will eradicate breast cancer. Nursing mothers and breastmilk is needed for some of the studies. To join the Army of Women, go to: www.armyofwomen.org. Please share this information with all the women you know. Together, we can beat breast cancer!


I signed up. Will you?

So far, December sucks!

Yesterday Penny went out to the Saturn to go to work. She opened the door, then shut the door, then heard a weird noise. Looked in the rear view, and could see out. Back windshield shattered! Got out to inspect it more. Back right quarter glass also all spider-webbed and mushy (as in you could push it in). Two smashed windows? Rocks from the snow plow perhaps? (It snowed the previous evening and the plows had been out.) An errant BB? Rocks from a passing car? Who the frig knows.

Penny called me, I came home, and we took the car to Windshield World. Our out of pocket cost for all this? $500. Insurance will cover the rest. It's all fine to have a high-ish deductible when you never have a claim. Nice to pay the lower fee each month for the insurance. But, when you have a claim, suddenly the $500 deductible seems like a sucktastic idea.

So, we were feeling a bit (understatement of the century) shitty. Big unexpected bill, recession, and all. Pinching pennies does not even begin to cover what we have been doing lately. Things are T-I-G-H-T here!

Fast forward to last night. Kids go down to bed at normal time (7 pm) and all is quite on the home front until 11 pm or so. Then Jordan wakes up screaming. Jordan has been waking up pretty much every night for the past few weeks, screaming like he is having a bad dream, and only wanting Penny (and in the process, rejecting me, by hitting my arms and saying "NO!" when I try to get him out of the crib). He has not been able to be settled back in the crib, so has been co-sleeping with one of us, either in our bed or on the air mattress in the guest room. Mostly, he has been sleeping with Penny, because, as I mentioned, during the night he has been rejecting me big time. Hurt feelings much? We have no idea what this is about.

We thought last night would be like the others. Except it wasn't. Jordan WOULD NOT SETTLE. He pretty much screamed througout the entire night! We tried water, Tylenol, walking around, taking him downstairs, rocking him, laying him down in both rooms/beds. We tried everything we could think of. Jordan slept for 10-20 minute increments and then for two hours from 1-3 am and that was it. We were pulling our hair out and bickering with one another. What was happening here? Was this a temper tantrum, coupled with being over tired? Was he sick?

This morning he seemed better. No fever. His mood was ok and he ate ok. We took him to the doctor's anyway. Double ear infections. He had been on antibiotics for the past 6 days due to a cough and his cold-induced asthma (wheezing for 4 weeks, despite using 2 inhalers every 4-6 hours). So, we thought if he did have an ear infection, those abx would have taken care of it. Not so much.

So, now our boy has double ear infections and is on another antibiotic for 10 days. He was in pain, and we were bickering with each other, wondering if this was a tantrum that we had created by indulging him with sleeping in our bed over the past few weeks. Oh the things that happen and the things you think during the middle of the night when you are sleep deprived.

So, can I have November back? Please?

(P.S. Taylor slept like a freakin' rock star last night. Did not even wake up one time during Jordan's hours and hours of screaming shenanigans. She slept in the crib from 7 pm until 6 am when we woke her up. Thank you, Taylor! You made our night!)

(P.P.S. Oh, the best part? At pick up this evening, day care told us he was just as happy as could be all day, napped great for them, and they could not even tell that he was overtired or sick. Thanks for only sharing your best side with us, Buddy! We love you!)

It's 9:07 pm on Tuesday night and I just heard Jordan start crying. Please let this be a better night.

What a difference a year makes!

Thanksgiving 2007



Thanksgiving 2008



What food item will we pose with next year??

Happy Thanksgiving!

We are thankful for so much again this year. We had a lovely Thanksgiving meal at home with Penny's family. After finally getting the kitchen cleaned up this morning, we began thinking of ways to use the leftovers. Turkey pot pie anyone? It started snowing this morning, but has stopped now. We are looking forward to a quiet weekend at home. And the moms hope to get in some craftiness.

And speaking of craftiness, below are some pics of the felt bread slices that I made for the IVP's felt food swap. I think they came out pretty good if I do say so myself!

I have also included some pics of the kids and us from yesterday, as well as a shot of Jordan helping me make the pumpkin cookies. I so look forward to being able to cook with the kids more as they get a bit older. They love helping Penny feed the animals, pouring the food into the bowls, so I know they will adore mixing and pouring and everything wonderful that goes along with cooking!

We demand equality for OUR FAMILY AND FOR ALL FAMILIES NOW!!

HOT DAMN!!

I cannot believe it! Obama is our next President. WOW! We are so thrilled and just overwhelmed with the whole thing. As the numbers started rolling in last night and it was looking good, I was just crying with joy, overcome with the relief that it looked like things were finally going to turn around in this country. It was very exciting for Vermont to be the first state to be officially called in Obama's favor.

Tiredness overcame us before the final numbers were in and the celebrations began. When we went to bed, Obama was leading by about 100 electoral votes. I wish we had been able to stay up late into the night to celebrate, but it just wasn't feasible. We woke up, giddy with anticipation, turned on the TV and saw the amazing news. We tried to get Jordan and Taylor to say Obama, but it was a no-go. Jordan was too busy saying uh-oh and Taylor was too busy eating toast.

A few thoughts:

I am so proud of Florida for turning blue this election. What a difference 4 years makes, ey? My mom lives in Florida, so it was a state I was watching, especially given the history there.

Voting in VT was so, so freakin' easy! No lines for me when I voted in the morning and no lines for Penny when she voted in the evening after work. What a difference voting in a rural state makes! In CA, we always waited in pretty long lines and had to strategically plan when we were able to take enough time away from work to go and vote.

Vermont is a blue state, elected Obama for President by a margin of about 55% to 44 % for McCain, and yet our Republican Governor was re-elected, despite two pretty good Democratic and Independent candidates. This is odd to me, but Douglas is a good speaker, so I guess people went with who they knew and felt comfortable with in that office.

I can't believe we have someone other than a white man moving into the Whiet House. It is a day that I never thought I would see in my lifetime and yet, here it is! Well, it's not January yet, but you know what I mean. We have elected a black man to be our President. This is so so awesome and I can only hope that it means our country is moving in the right direction.

However, I am disappointed to see that many (perhaps all, once the final numbers are all in) of the propositions and amendments regarding gay and lesbian rights came down on the side of bigotry and discrimination. We have come a long way, but we have a long way to go. Maybe someday Jordan and Taylor will live in a world where their family is validated as 100% equal in the eyes of the law. I am grateful that we live in VT, where their moms can have a civil union (not equal to marriage, but it is better than nothing!) and can both be seen as their legal parents through a second parent adoption. Here's to seeing the day when same sex parents can be married in all states and have it be federally recognized and not have to "adopt" their own children.

Where does the time go?

We had a great time at Disney, but of course it was more exhausting than we expected. The kids did great on the plane rides to Orlando and back. We were thrilled and shocked by this! I highly recommend direct flights on Jet Blue. The kids did not watch much of the DirectTV, but it helped some and every little bit of help is gold! I will put up a Disney post with lots of pics, soon.

So, getting back to some stuff that I said I wanted to blog about... Our house we are renting was sold over the summer. The couple who bought it live in San Diego and want to move to VT in a few years, maybe for their retirement. So, they basically invited us to sign another lease and stay in the house for the next 1-2 or so years. We signed the lease for a year and we hope to be able to buy something next year. We will start looking around in the Spring and Summer and maybe buy in August or so. Having never bought anything bigger than a car, moving towards homeownership seems both terrifying and thrilling to us, especially since, um, we have no money! Good times of working in nonprofit mental health and having two toddlers in full-time daycare. Hey, if we had no school loans, credit card debt, or kids in daycare, we would be living high on the hog! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

The new landlords have put some work into the house and we are so happy with the results. They put on some amazing and very safe hardwood railings all along the stairway going up to the second story. Some of you know that before, it was all open, with no railings, other than on the wall side. It would have been very easy to fall directly from the second floor down to the first floor and we had to be super vigilant about the kids. We could not even attach a gate, because there was nothing to attach it to! All the work on the stairs was done while we were on vacation. Perfect timing. The other big change the new owners are making is installing a dryer! We have had a washer, but no dryer, which has meant weekly trips to the laundromat for me to partake of their hot air. Every Thursday, after my day at home with the kids, my treat has been that I "got" to go do the drying when Penny got home from work. Now, don't get all jealous. Soon, I will do the drying like everyone else...at home in my very own dryer! We can't wait till it gets here. We are told it should be here soon. Yay!

Penny has a new job with the same agency we both already worked at. Penny was working as an employment specialist for adults with mental illness since December. Well, a case manager position became available, so she applied and she got it! Our badass teacher/anthropology grad student is now working in the mental health world! Who woulda thunk it? Well, when you live in a more rural place, you get whatever work you can. Congrats to Penny on her new job, which comes with a nice little raise. This little raise will help us to keep our previously glub-glubbing heads, a bit more above the water. Thank G-D for small miracles! Penny felt badly about leaving the first position because she had been there for less than a year, and people have a habit of moving from the other position into this new one because the money is so much better. And, she really liked the other position and the clients and her coworkers. And, and, and....But, the move was very necessary for our family, so she had to do it. Thanks for making the sacrifice, Pen. Our family and our checking account thanks you!

That's enough for now, I think. More soon. Sooner than a month from now, I promise!

Vacation approaching

Vacation in a few days means a few things:

We start making crazy lists and piles all around the house. To go on the trip, to be done before the trip, to recycle, to get rid of to take care of, etc, etc, etc
We both start feeling sick or hoping we are not starting to feel sick.
We start hoping the kids will stay well. "Does he feel warm? Get the Tylenol!"

Do other people start feeling almost manic before a vacation? We have things we have neglected that now I feel a need to get done before we go. I have not balanced the checkbook in about 6 months. Now I am balancing it everyday, one month at a time, so that I know we are all up to date by the time we leave. I am shredding things and organizing things like we are going to be gone for 7 months, rather than 7 days. Because even though that one box has not been unpacked since we moved into the house a year ago, it must be done now, before we leave for a week!

And I start worrying that something will happen in the last days leading up to the trip that will prevent us from actually getting on the plane. I try to will us all to stay well and to stay safe and not get in any crazy car accidents or any other such nonsense. Do other people feel this way?

Part of the craziness might be that we have not gone on a vacation since summer 2006, when we had the amazing vacation in France and England for Harry and Woody's wedding, the month before I had the IVF and got pregnant. It was truly our last hurrah before pregnancy and babies. And it was a wonderful trip and we will likely never have another one like it, or not for a very long time, anyway. The past two years have been a whirlwind of pregnancy, and giving birth to twins, and moving cross-country, and getting new jobs, and trying to figure out what it means to be a family of 4. It has been wonderful, but holy crap, we are exhausted! We think we are doing a pretty good job, but man, we need a vacation! Wish us luck that the trip to FL is not thwarted by any natural disasters and that, even with our 16 month old monsters, er, make that darlings, it is still fun enough and relaxing enough to make it all worth it. Did I say relaxing? I fear that some illness is coming over me to make me think such foolish thoughts. Maybe we should cancel the trip?

Other summer highlights...

We had a very busy summer, which may have led to such sparse blog posting....or maybe that was laziness? Anyway, here are some highlights, in no particular order!


We spent a lovely weekend in Jamaica, VT (yeah, I did not know there was a Jamaica, VT either!) with Bill and his family. Michelle's family has an A-frame house there and Bill and Michelle try to vacation there once a year. Now we live in VT, so we joined them for a weekend. From left to right: Back row: Bill, Michelle and Chris. Front row: Will, Taylor, Kelly, and Jordan. I am so glad these kids will all get to grow up together!


We took a dip in Cindy and Brian's pool one hot day. Not a bad lookin' bunch, if I do say so myself.


Hey kids, I think that's a one-seater! Cousin Chase graciously shared his jeep with Taylor and Jordan. Only trouble was, they could not decide who was gonna use it first. Oh yeah, and the fact that you have to steer and push the gas pedal.


Nikki came to visit us this week, along with Hannah and Parker. We had a blast and spent the day together in Burlington. We went to the VT Teddy Bear Company, where Jordan had a blast in their huge pile of soft pillows. I did not get any pics of all the kids together, unfortunately. We also went to ECHO, a children's museum and aquarium. Nikki wants me to make sure to tell you that I got stuck in the door coming out of ECHO, thanks to the new-to-us side-by-side double jogging stroller that she gave us. Yeah, thanks for THAT hand-me-down, Nik! It was all she could do to help me get out of the door, without wetting her pants. Thanks for visiting us guys, and thanks for all the rockin' hand-me-downs you brought us (yes, even the stroller that causes one to be trapped in a building. G-d forbid there was a fire!)! We are so glad to be on the East Coast and closer to you guys now!

Taylor learned how to ride this lion this summer and just recently she learned how to push it forward with her feet, rather than going backwards. She is such a big girl!

Chris and Connie got married this summer and we were lucky enough to make it to the wedding. Well, they really had their Civil Union in January, when NH legalized it, but they had a ring exchange and a big ol' party a few weeks ago and we are so glad we got to go! We love you guys and it was so great to see you and have you meet the twinners!

One of the awesomest parts of going to this party was the LOBSTAH! Welcome back to New England, baby! It was awesome!

We were thrilled to get to spend some time with Kelly and Sylvia at the wedding, too. Oh how we miss our CA next-door neighbors! You guys are the best and we love you and miss you so much! Hard to have ya babysit when you are 3,000 damn miles away!

Penny's uncle came to visit a few weeks ago and we all met for lunch. It was nice for him to get to meet the kids and to spend some time with the family. Pictured above are also Cindy and Brian who are going to Walt Disney World with us in a few weeks.

We spent 4th of July with Jess and her family in CT. It was a mini Smith reunion, as Rajni (and Barry) and Aileen were also there. Above are Andy, Jordan, Will, Ben, and Taylor. Not pictured is Jess' newest: Jackson. Thanks for a lovely weekend, Jess. We had tons of fun!

Whew! Were we busy enough for ya? The kids are doing more and more everyday and it is all we can do to keep up with them. The biggies right now are talking and signing (baby sign language is AMAZING!) and running. We are such lucky mamas to have them in our lives, keeping us alive and on our toes!

A trip to Santa's Village in Jefferson, NH

We are headed to Disney World in Orlando, FL in three weeks for our first big family vacation. We are going to Disney more as a getaway and as an opportunity to spend time with family than we are for the kids to actually experience Disney World. We know they are much to young to really enjoy it, and we hope to have many more Disney trips in the future. Joining us in Orlando are Bill's family: Bill, Michelle, Kelly and Will and some of Penny's family: Cindy (Penny's sister) and her husband Brian, and their daughter, Heather and her boyfriend, PJ. Also, we will see my mom and her boyfriend Bob there, as well as my brother Tim. Tim lives with my mom now, but is moving to Boston the week we are in FL. It will be nice to Bill and Tim to be so (relatively) close by!

Anyway, we took a day trip to Santa's Village to see how the kids would do in a theme park environment. They did great and we had a lovely day!





Check us out on the monorail sleigh ride. Fun stuff!




This is a picture of Taylor and Jordan's very first ride they ever went on. They are a bit too young to drive and their legs do not touch the pedals, so Mama P drove and the rest of us were just along for the ride!




Jordan was such a little daredevil on the playground at Santa's Village. He seemed fearless and even went down a bigger slide than this one, on his stomach, coming down face first! Fearless I tell you!









Mama P and Taylor feed the reindeer. There were REAL LIVE reindeer here and they were quite gentle. You could hold your hand out and feed them these little crackers they sold there. Jordan even fed them out of his own hand. Again, the daredevil!







Penny and the kids pose on a freakishly large rabbit. Do you think he lives at the North Pole with Santa and Mrs. Claus and the elves?

Our last ride of the day was the carousel. The kids did great, even though the moms thought the ride went unusually fast for a carousel!

Overall, it was a successful day. We left a bit early as Taylor did not seem to be feeling that well. She was kind of sluggish and felt very warm. After a little Children's Motrin and a nap in the car, she seemed fine once we got home. As an aside, both kids slept all the way there and all the way home, even though it was a 2 hour ride each way! ZOINKS!! Guess they were tired!

We are super excited for WDW in three weeks and Mimi can't wait to see her grandkiddos. Given how the kids did at SV, we hope they will do at Disney, too. We plan on relatively short days at the park, with plenty of trips back to the condo for naps, lunch, and swimming. Hopefully there are no hurricanes or tropical storms happening while we are there!

"A weekend you'll never forget, at Farnsworth..."

We spent a weekend at Camp Farnsworth in Thetford, VT a few weeks ago. I went to this camp as a camper and Penny spent 10 years working at this camp, so when the camp turned 100 years old and we had a chance to go back for a weekend, we jumped at the chance. The weekend was exhausting, as we spent a good chunk of it chasing after our rambunctious toddlers, but we had a blast never the less! Here are a few memorable shots from the weekend.


Here's Jordan and Taylor taking a stroll with their new pal Darci. Luckily for us, she and her partner Elisha live in Burlington. Score on some new VT pals!!


Chris and Elisha pose for a pic with a sleeping Jordan. Camp just wore him right out. HUGE thanks to Darci and Elisha for loving spending time with our kids and giving us a break from chasing them around the dining hall, especially during the hail storm when we were all cooped up. These chicks are so awesome, they even offered to babysit!! WHOA!!

It was chilly in the mornings, so we were all decked out in our sweat suits.
Taylor discovered a love of sweeping during the weekend. We start training them young in our family.


Jordan and Taylor dined in style. Their little seats clip right on to the table and then kind of hang there, suspended. Pretty cool! We take them everywhere with us, so we always have a place for the kids to sit and eat. We hope Taylor attends Camp Farnsworth in the future and that we will have many picture of Taylor through the years in this very dining hall. We will have to find an equally awesome camp for Jordan to attend!

Can I get an award?

Now you are wondering what kind of award I should get. I think we might be the worst bloggers EVAH!! Is there an award for that? The time between blog posts is appalling and I am ashamed of us. What? Are we busy or something?

So, the summer is almost over and I am pissed! It has rained as much this summer as any winter in Northern Cali and now the leaves are changing (already??) and that means winter is coming. I feel like we barely took the snow tires off and now we have to put them back on. Now, what kind of racket is that? Pay to take them off and pay to put them back on? Total BS! Remind me why we moved to VT again??

The kids are keeping us super busy and we are tired moms, who basically endure 24/7 of chasing our toddlers and trying to figure out what the hell they want as they point and make versions of this sound" eh, eh" just about every hour they are awake! This is what made our summer and the fun weekend trips we made turn out to not be as relaxing as we remembered. We attended a civil union party (Congrats Chris and Connie!), a Girl Scout Camp 100th birthday weekend (Yay for Camp Farnsworth!), spent the 4th of July weekend in CT with my college friends and their spouses/families, and spent the weekend at a cute A-frame cabin in VT (did you know there is a Jamaica, VT? Neither did I!)with my brother and his family. These weekends away were great and seeing everyone definitely helped us to remember just why we moved back here. But they were also exhausting with the kids, and the amount of stuff you have to take for a weekend away with two kids is absolutely freakin' ridiculous! We have also spent tons of time with Penny's family, which has been great. We are exicited for the kids to grow up seeing the Penny's side of the family as much as possible.

We are very excited to be heading to Disney World in three weeks. It is our first big family vacation and we are psyched! We know that the kids will not remember it, but we are mostly just going to get away and be with family. My mom and her boyfriend Bob live down there, and my brother Tim is down there now, as well. (Tim is moving to Boston the same week we are in FL, and I am exicted to have him so much closer to us. I feel some big family holidays coming on!) My brother Bill and his family (wife: Michelle and kids: Kelly and Will) are also going on this vacaton, as well as Penny's sister (Cindy) and her husband (Brian) and their daughter (Heather) and her boyfriend (PJ). It is going to be great. We have adjusted our Disney expectations and plan on short days in the park, combined with trips back to the condo for napping, lunch, and swimming.

We had a great visit with my friend, Nikki and her kids Hannah and Parker, over the past few days. It was so great of them to come from NH to see us and hang out with us on Thursday, which is my day at home with the kids. We went to Burlington to the VT Teddy Bear Company, had lunch at the Olive Garden, and then went to ECHO, a children's museum and aquarium. It was a blast. Jordan and Taylor did not cry whent the giant bear came out to walk around with the kids at the Teddy Bear Factory. Jordan even high-fived the bear and hugged him! I think this bodes well for Disney!

This weekend we are headed to Santa's Village to further expose the kids to a theme park and check out how they might do and what kind of stamina they might have for a park day.

I can't believe it is Labor Day Weekend already! WOW! Where has the summer gone?

I hope to write a post soon about some things I have been struggling with, in terms of being a mom and feeling like I have lost myself as a person. I also want to talk about our housing situation and Penny's new job. Stay tuned! Hopefully I will get another post up this weekend, with the above topics and maybe even some new pictures!