thetadpoles.com

Tadd took the month off to use California’s Paid Family Leave. It is a program that allows you to take time off to bond with a child or care for a sick family member without forgoing your whole paycheck. It is a great opportunity that those in the Golden State should look into if you’re pregnant. Anyways we decided to go and see family. Ohhhhh car trips with twins. 113 degree weather, Loen not being happy unless she could see me so I had to sit in the crappy middle seat in the back. I’m sure it will be the first of many vacations. Only in a few years we can add the following lines of: “I’m hungry”, “I have to pee”, “Are we almost there?”. Oh whom I am kidding, I say those lines now.

First stop Oakdale. Tadd was unable to go out with me the last time so this would be our first long car trip as a family. It was definitely easier with Tadd as he did the driving and car packing. We saw most of my family. It was hot so we stayed indoors most of the time. Whenever I am in Oakdale I am so lazy. I just lie around, eat, watch movies and catch up with my mom. I got my haircut into what I like to call the same haircut I had for most of my teenage years. It’s easy and it works. Tadd went swimming with my older brother Iain. I dipped the twin’s toes in the pool. Derby screamed but Loen didn’t mind. We also gave little Iain his birthday gift of a Fortamajig. I think Tadd and Bianca spent more time trying to figure out where to set it up than Iain played in it. We stopped at a Target and little Iain got a pair of sunglasses. We tried to point out they were infant sunglasses and get him interested in a bigger pair but he had his mind set on the red pair. It was a comical sight.

Teeny Glasses

Hair Whipping Action

Opening the Fortamajig

We were home for four days before our next road trip. Now we could say the twins have been to another state. Arizona was definitely a longer haul. On the way out we stopped in L.A. and I had lunch with my brother, Souther, while Tadd met with some friends. It broke up the drive by stopping for a couple of hours then we loaded them up and were on the road again. We got to Grandpa Lee and Grandma Deb’s around 9 pm. We were all glad to be out of the car. Then we had to unload the ½ ton of baby gear that we brought. When you travel with a baby you bring a LOT of crap, yet all of it was necessary. The twins went swimming for the first time. The pool was 91 degrees and perfect for them. It was also 113 degrees outside. We had them greased up with sunscreen, UV protection shirts, hats, baby float with sun canopy and there was an umbrella in the shallow end of the pool. I thought I had all the bases covered when it came to sun protection but after 20 minutes we took them inside and they both had a little color to their cheeks. Again it took a lot of work for just 20 minutes of fun. You have to wash them and then slather them with lotion after going in the pool to protect their skin. I needed a nap after all that.

Loen Bug

Getting ready for their first dip in the pool

In the floaties

Grandpa Lee calls Derby “Cheeks” perhaps a better nickname would be “Jowls”

Tadd has been dying to take Deb’s cat, Artemis, into the pool for sometime now. Evidently the Turkish Van is a type of swimming cat. I was waiting for her to claw Tadd’s skin but she didn’t seem to mind being in the pool, on the other hand she didn’t hang around and do a few laps either.

Aunt Heather and Loen

Heather, Lee and Tadd

We went out to a German restaurant called Haus Murphys. All was well and good as the twins were asleep, until the oompa band showed up that is

Who doesn’t love a good polka drinking tune?!

They start younger every year
(Poor Derby’s lazy eyes. They’ll be fixed in August)

I turned my back a second and half the stein was gone

Loen with her Uncle Kyle and his girlfriend Christina

After a few days we made a mini trip from Phoenix to visit Aunt Tracie and Uncle John in Tucson (130 miles away). The scenery is beautiful and the way the homes were built to compliment the surrounding area was amazing. The last time Tracie saw the twins was right after they were born so needless to say they looked huge in comparison. Loen was her usual social butterfly self and Derby did his serious “You have to tap dance through hoops” to make him smile. Loen decided it was the right time to show how she could roll. Derby was more than happy to hold onto the title of “Rice Cereal Inhaler” vs “Baby roller”. We decided he might need a little more tummy time in the future or he could just be lazy.

Rollmaster (Click picture to see video)

“BOOYA! I’m a better roller than you Derby”

For being so tiny the toads in the fountain were deafening

Derby laughing for his Aunt Tracie

Aunt Tracie and Uncle John

Derby knows better than to start trouble when Uncle John is around

While in Phoenix we went to a crazy store called Cabelas. It was HUGE and essentially devoted to killing animals. Well they called it an Outdoor and Hunting store but whatever.

A onesie for the little huntress in your life

In case you want to tan AND stalk elk at the same time

Oh the baby camo asile (I should have also gotten a picture of the throw pillows in the shape of ammo)

Didn’t you know the twins went on a safari too??!

This deer is running for President

ACK a bear!

Yeah, yeah it’s an elephant

Oooo a kitty

Maybe a scary kitty

We had a lot of fun, but we are SO HAPPY to be home now.