We left after breakfast on Sunday. The drive wasn’t bad but the twins refused to nap in the car even though they looked exhausted. Derby kept telling me he wanted “nigh night”. The good news was the hotel said we could have an early check in. I thought they could nap for a bit, go to the aquarium then dinner. Once at the hotel the ground floor with king bed & courtyard seating I originally booked became a 2nd floor with 2 double beds and a window seat. After explaining that we needed an area to hide out when the twins would inevitably be crying it out for the night they switched our room. Now we were on the third floor with a 4′ wide balcony. I was over switching rooms and by then the twins were raring to go.

A word to the wise, try to avoid the Monterey Bay Aquarium on a weekend afternoon. It was PACKED! To no ones surprise they wanted out of the stroller and were running in opposite directions. I packed the child leashes but forgot to bring them. No one was impressed with the HUGE outer bay viewing window or the amazing seahorses. They wanted to play on the escalator or touch the elevator buttons. Derby just wanted to run through the legs of fellow visitors with his mother in hot pursuit. There were a few picture perfect moments. I should say we deleted a couple of hundred shots that were NOT picture perfect.

Somehow the turtles held their attention….for mere seconds

I realize Derby has a gift as a turtle whisperer

Seahorse

Sea Dragon

Sharks trying to get my daughter

After we stopped at a pizza place to feed the twins we went to Dennis the Menace park. Tadd and I took the faux bros Matt, Andrew & John to this park back in 2004. I was excited to see how the twins would like it. When we walked up I was amazed because the whole park had been remodeled. There was so much to see and play on. The twins were excited and I had a thought of I could never do this park alone. The twins favorite was the slides. They definitely were worn out by the time we left.

Fooling around at dinner.

That night we bathed the twins and got them ready for bed. Tadd went to pick up some dinner while I hid out by the closet so the twins wouldn’t see me as they were screaming about going to bed. Loen conked out first then finally Derby was silent, of course that is when Tadd opened the door with dinner and the screaming started all over again. We grabbed our jackets and dinner then went to the teeny tiny balcony to eat/wait. The food smelled SO good, I was ready to eat. Tadd pulled out one container of chicken kabobs then the container of beef. The restaurant switched to the new eco friendly cardboard containers, turns out they get limp when holding hot steamy food. Limp container decided to break open all over the balcony. Tadd was ready to pack up and drive home. After a few moments to calm down and clean up the food that was all over (not to mention drink a much needed beer) he called the restaurant again. They were kind enough to make him a whole new order free of charge. Tadd went to pick it up which woke Derby up as he tried to sneak out the door. Woke Derby up again when he returned. We sat out in the cold eating the most delicious kabob and chutney I have ever had while listening to the wails of my son. You know the guests in the next room hated us.

The twins favorite part of the hotel was the luggage cart. Tadd said maybe we should buy one for home.

The next morning we were ready to start anew. We got to the aquarium right when it opened (I also brought a leash for Derby which helped). We raced ahead of the field trips and crammed in as much fishy goodness as the twins could handle.

This is where Derby, who was attached to my wrist, had to go on a little ride as that dumb shark appeared out of nowhere and the mommy screamed and left the general vicinity. We were much happier playing in the sharkless toddler land.

When asked what they wanted to do the answer was “PARK”. we ate lunch first then back to Dennis the Menace park. They had so much fun and ran up the hill to the roller slide more times than I can count.

They napped for 2 hours on the ride home. When Derby walked through the front door he sighed “home”. I know how you feel buddy.

All in all when asked of our trip I hear “More park, more slide!” I’m so glad we drove 4 hours for a park. No really we had a good time

Tadd in his tux. Loen was in love with the patent leather loafers

Hanging out with Aunt Mary

The twins went to the zoo with Mima and Papa Don while we were at the wedding.

Obviously they were taunting a bear with yummy looking toddler legs.

Our Lady, Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Cathedral in Toledo where Heath and Christine were married. That is such a mouthful I wonder what the abbreviated version is, The Holiest or Queen Bee?

I was horrible with taking pictures so I added a few from Photo Booth Live. At the reception rather than have disposable cameras on the table they had a photo corner with props where you could take self portraits. Since it was digital the picture would come up instantly on a big screen that played a slide show throughout the night. It was such a neat idea. Doesn’t mean the pictures weren’t getting crazy as the night went on but still a great idea.

Christine and Heath

MKM wives with the newly added Christine Maser

All in all the night was a lot of fun. It sounds as the twins also had a wild night as their grandparents took them to the outdoor fashion show in front of the hotel and let them dance on barrels. Loen changed into a more appropriate flapper dress for the occasion. These are the cell phone pictures that were sent to us during the reception.

I was exhausted and we were leaving the next morning. We got to our room and shut the door between our suite and Tamie’s. We checked the kids then quickly fell asleep. I should go into length how Derby woke up and cried (as he does every night) and we tried to let him get himself back to sleep. He ended up in our bed (again). The next thing I knew my mother in law is hovering above my head asking if everything is all right. Now I was dead asleep and a little groggy. I told her yes, the twins are asleep then I went back to sleep. The next morning the questions started to arise like “How did she get in our room?” “Why was she in our room?”. Turns out she woke up when she heard Derby crying and got up to get him. She didn’t realize we were back from the wedding and noticed the adjoining door was shut. She tried calling our cells but since they were on vibrate we didn’t hear them. Then she started to panic thinking the twins were locked in there alone and called the front desk to explain the situation. They let her in hence my awakening to her head over mine. Good times in Ohio!

Here is the part of the story that gets really good. Remember in part 1 I was SO upset over losing Derby’s angel pin? Well in the morning Tadd walked out of the hotel room but came right back in. He had something in his hand. He walked over and handed me Derby’s angel pin. It was on the carpet right in front of room. How had we missed it all the other times? How did it get there? It was amazing. It looks a little more traveled than Loen’s but I’m so happy we got it back. I guess it missed my little man.

]]> http://thetadpoles.com/2009/10/20/toddler-travel-take-2/feed/ 0 http://thetadpoles.com/2009/10/15/toddler-travel-a-new-type-of-terrorism-part-1/ http://thetadpoles.com/2009/10/15/toddler-travel-a-new-type-of-terrorism-part-1/#comments Thu, 15 Oct 2009 18:54:14 +0000 Hava http://thetadpoles.com/?p=1096 Since we are such seasoned travelers with the twins we decided the whole family would fly into Detroit for our friend Maser’s Ohio wedding. Obviously we weren’t thinking clearly. Getting up at 4 am the day of departure wasn’t bad and the drive to LAX was smooth sailing! Then Tadd dropped us off at the skycap with luggage, car seats and stroller while he went to park the car in long term. This is where things started going downhill. Our safe yet incredibly heavy Recaro car seats had to be checked in a special area and the sky cap informed me he couldn’t help me just point me in the right direction. Considering I had twins in a stroller, backpack, carry on and two 25 pound car seats I was going no where when it came to checking things. So we sat on the bench and waited for Tadd. Not bad, just a little blip in the road. Then we got to security. My insulin pump beeped so I was pulled aside along with our cooler full of milk bottles. Tadd had to contend with the other luggage and wait for it…..a child that peed not only through her outfit but the seat of the stroller. How does this happen?? So I get the extra special wand of security then they checked every single bottle of milk. I told her I would take a drink to speed things up but nooooo there was special strips that had to be waved over the open milk bottles checking for fumes then another test involving droppers. I didn’t pay that much attention as I was watching Tadd wrestle 2 screaming kids. We got through and in true dad style Tadd plopped Loen on the floor of LAX to change her. No pad or blanket, just down on the carpet that millions of dirty travelers walk upon. I started to get annoyed then realized it wasn’t worth it. We got to our gate and sat down. Well the adults sat down, the twins took off in opposite directions. Do you know there is no longer special boarding for families? Just one more level of hell when traveling with kids. Lets speed this story up shall we. On the plane, screaming, me wishing they still took binkers, more screaming. Then we resorted to all the things we say we wouldn’t; M&M’s, DVD’s, iPod, stickers, cookies, crayons. I would have given them booze and cigarettes to get them to be quite (not really). Finally after singing the chorus to a Veggie Tales song about a 100 times I got Derby to sleep. Loen my little resilient darling stayed awake the whole time. Did I mention there was a senior citizen trip on the same plane and many were seated next to us? From the looks on some of their faces we did not bode well for them. Finally we landed and got our luggage. After getting our car seats I noticed that one of the pins on Derby’s car seats was missing. Yes, I know it sounds like we put flair on the seats but 1 was the guardian angel pin that they’ve had since their birth. It was on their incubator in the NICU then on their car seats ever since. The other pin was a hummingbird that belonged to Tadd’s grandmama. Well Derby’s angel pin was missing. I had a lump in my throat as I looked all over and Tadd pulled the plastic bags they wrapped the carseat in out of the garbage. The pin that had been through the ups and downs, the surgeries, the periods when he stopped breathing was gone. Now it had been a long trip so far and I think we had eaten half a bagel and maybe an airline cookie so Tadd & I weren’t at our best. Tadd was snappy and asked why I hadn’t sewn on the pin like he told me to weeks ago. You all should be glad that there was no bloodshed at Detroit Metro right then. Remember this scene because it pops up later in the story.

Loen only slept for 10 minutes while waiting to get the rental car and what? Did she just pee though another outfit? This never happens at home! Finally we are off to Ohio. By now I’m starving and Yelp is useless in finding food where we are. I see a sign for an Arby’s. I haven’t had Arby’s in years and I believe there was a reason for that…ugh. I gave the twins a french fry and went back to my ‘meal’. All of a sudden I hear gaging noises so I turn around. Derby is about to puke so I cup my hands under his mouth and catch the most insane amount of vomit I’ve seen come from my kid. I’m disgusted and gross and I have a handful of puke. I’m kneeling backwards in my seat with said handful of puke as Tadd is tearing down the highway weaving between semis trying to get to the exit. We change yet another outfit and realize that a fair amount of puke had gone down the straps and into the lock. That’s fine I already have to wash 3 outfits and a stroller why not a car seat as well. We are off to a great start and it is only the first day. I should stop and say that the trip really went back into an upswing after this. We got to the hotel where Tadd’s mom was waiting to greet us (really just the twins) and we were able to get everyone cleaned up. The hotel had a laundry area so that was a feature. Since Tadd was a groomsman in the wedding he had to leave to get fitted for his tux. We were lucky enough to get a suite and Tadd’s mom had the adjoining room. That made life SOOOOO much easier.

The twins were loved and spoiled and loved some more from their Mima and Papa Don. Tadd and I actually went out to dinner with friends without kids (gasp!). I missed the babies but enjoyed getting out. Tadd was gone a lot due to his obligations in the wedding. Where we stayed in Perrysburg, Ohio was like a citywalk. With the hotel at one end and shops, theater, restaurants, bars all along a long boulevard. So there were things to do once you walked out of the hotel.

Since this post is already ridiculously long I’ll finish part 2 later. Until that time I’ll throw in some pictures of why it took me a day and a half to pack. I wont even get into how they wouldn’t take naps that day or when they decided that taking everything out of the suitcase was a great idea.

“Mom, it was Derby who unfolded all the clothes. NOT me, I swear”

]]> http://thetadpoles.com/2009/10/15/toddler-travel-a-new-type-of-terrorism-part-1/feed/ 1 http://thetadpoles.com/2009/07/07/pinta-party/ http://thetadpoles.com/2009/07/07/pinta-party/#comments Wed, 08 Jul 2009 05:04:09 +0000 Hava http://thetadpoles.com/?p=943

At the end of May we went to Oakdale to celebrate lil Iain’s 4th birthday. What a difference traveling with the daddy makes. Someone to pack the car, do the driving and help with the twins. I can do it on my own though I prefer when Tadd is with us.

We arrived on Thursday and immediately took over with our gear! Set up of cribs, highchairs and clothes then trying to get the twins down for a nap. Not to mention it was a really hot day. The twins were sweaty and had flushed little cheeks. They are such Santa Barbara babies, 100 degree weather is a challenge for them (me). It all worked out as we had a couple of days to recoup before the big PINATA PARTY. (Isn’t that every 4 year olds dream?)

You could tell that Iain thought his party was AWESOME.

Uncle Guy getting into the spirit of recycling (re-gifting) his old Peter Pan hat.

Fiesta! (Notice the Hello Kitty purse the Meemaw got Lo. She LOVES it. How did I end up with such a girly-girl???)

Uncle Iain pondering the merits of a wooden sword, baseball bat or broken yard stick for pinata destruction

The baseball bat was sufficient

The twins were wondering when they could have some pinata candy…

“Meemaw will you give me some candy??”

Derby was not feeling the party hat

Like I said Derby HATED the hat

Cupcakes were another story entirely

Lil Iain and Grandma “Bon”. He loves her so

The Meemaw got Iain a puppet theatre for his birthday.

Bianca made awesome handmade puppets for Iain

Not being as crafty I just ordered some Melissa and Doug puppets

Uncle Iain and Aunt Nanci decided to show us all up by getting him a bike..

The daddy decided a birthday party was the perfect time to do circus tricks..(and you wonder why I don’t leave them unattended for very long…EVER)

Once again I’m not in the picture because I’m the one taking it!

Well here is a very sweaty looking picture of me trapped under the Meemaw’s plethora of grandbabies

Derby showing some love to his little cousin

The next day we went down to the Stanislaus river and the boys tried their hand at fishing. My husband thought he was ‘River Runs Through It” style…..

Checking out the river with Meemaw

Loen relaxin in their new ride from the Meemaw

“We might need to pimp these wheels mom. 220…221…whatever it takes..”

In the end Tadd caught a fish but of course it got away

As always we enjoyed the trip but happy once we were back into our own beds and schedule. It is amazing how much the twins rely on that.

]]> http://thetadpoles.com/2009/07/07/pinta-party/feed/ 1 http://thetadpoles.com/2009/04/04/if-a-single-mom-can-do-it/ http://thetadpoles.com/2009/04/04/if-a-single-mom-can-do-it/#comments Sat, 04 Apr 2009 18:56:55 +0000 Hava http://thetadpoles.com/?p=810 That is what I was telling myself as I packed the car for a solo trip to Oakdale. Solo as in one adult with the twins. The drive is 6 hours and previously there has always been an additional adult to hand out toys, bottles, binkers, books, etc. Now it was just going to be me, on the road. 

I started by making a list of every conceivable thing I would need to pack then threw it all into the guest room (AKA staging area). I had Tadd go with me to Costco to purchase a portable DVD player. Yes, I was going to break our “no tv” rule. Desperate times call for desperate measures. Since it is tax season and we never get to see the daddy I had to pack the car myself. (Side note: the kids think Tadd lives in the phone now. Because he usually leaves when they are still asleep or just waking up and comes home after 11 pm they haven’t seen him much but we talk to him a couple of times a day on the phone. The other I asked Loen where was dada and she went to the phone, even though he was in the other room) I think I packed enough stuff to survive Armageddon. I packed up the kiddie korral, the foam floor mat, a duffel full of toys, clothes, bottles, baby food, DVD’s, phone, camera and DVD chargers, water, snacks, diapers, wipes…..am I missing anything?? I was proud of myself until my father in law asked “What are you going to do if you have to use the bathroom on the road”. Didn’t think of that little scenario. I guess no fluids for me for 6 hours. I got up at 4:30 am and we were on the road by 5:30. It turned out well because the twins slept till 8 am. We stopped halfway to use the bathroom and change diapers. Derby had gotten a yucky cold from hanging out with some kids a few days previous. After watching him wipe his nose with his hand then lick his hand I decided to give him a little benadryl to dry him up during the drive. Added bonus was he slept almost the rest of the way, downside is his car seat is behind the drivers side where I cant see him. He was so quiet I kept freaking out and putting my arm behind to shake his leg to make sure he was still breathing. He didn’t like that. Toward the last 30 minutes of the ride Loen was getting crabby so I just started tossing all these things in the back. Like a ton of graham crackers and a cup of milk. I knew she would make a mess but I would deal with it later if it meant she was happy. The DVD player was a hit with Loen. She didn’t pay rapt attention to it but got crabby when I turned it off. I think it was like background music for her.

We got to my moms and it was excitement all around. Little Guy and Iain have grown so much since January. Iain was especially intrigued with the kiddie korral. We got out his Fortamajig and made it into a hidden hideaway. Loen liked that too.

Iain was helping my mom plant herbs….in the gravel. Cilantro is hearty, right?

Little Iain and Guy. Iain has been practicing his side smile

Guy has gotten so big and so cute!

Iain would pretend to be shy whenever I got the camera out

Nanci and lil Guy

My cousin Brandy came to visit. This was the first time she saw the twins. Unfortunately her kids were with their dad so I didn’t get to see Emma or Andrew.

She is letting him sniff the bouquet

Derby’s cold got worse and I got worried. I don’t trust my nursing instincts when it comes to my own child. So many things will run through my mind: “Is it a bizarre presentation of SARS, plague, pneumonia……” I called the advice nurse and I felt better / stupid all at the same time. I had to answer yes to all of the questions slowly realizing I was a hypochondriac when it came to the twins.

“Are they eating, sleeping, playing?”

“Ummm, yes”

“Is there trouble breathing, wheezing, high fever, constant green discharge”

“Ummmmm, no”

“Well I would keep an eye on them and call us back if there is a change. Remember plenty of fluids”

This is when I was glad that I didn’t mention I was a nurse. I would have lied and said I was a CNA! The day before I was going to leave Loen got really sick. The nice thing is it was the same symptoms as Derby. So he was getting better and Loen was getting worse. I was pretty sure in a couple of days she would recover. Unfortunately when I put her in the car to go to Target she screamed the entire way. A bad sign for a long car trip. I gave her an additional day to recover before we got on the road. My mom wanted us to stay longer but we had already been there 8 days and we were all missing home (and our own beds).

We took them to see the fountain down the street. I thought they would have liked it but they seemed a little afraid.

Before we left we tried to get a picture of all the cousins. Can you tell who the loud ones were in the group?

I love how Derby & Iain are both laughing

The car trip home was unremarkable. The twins did well and watched the new Baby Beethoven DVD that Brandy brought for the kids. I was SOOOOO happy to be home and see the dada. I don’t know if I will be doing that trip alone anytime soon.

Let us do the fast rundown. Landed in Traverse City, Michigan and lo and behold who should be waiting for us? Mima T and Papa Don, I should have expected that. From here on out the twins were going to be ruthlessly spoiled. I told Jim (Tadd’s dad who also flew with us) that he probably wouldn’t be able to hold the twins while in Michigan. They were hot commodities those two. We got to the hotel, pointed out some big lake to the twins and then settled into getting the twins down for a nap so we could get some shut eye ourselves. It was pretty lax for the rest of the day. Saturday we went out to lunch and walked around for awhile . We went to this great kids store Bugs and Butterflys . We got a few new things that I have fallen in love with, I will also say the prices were better than in Santa Barbara. I got a new red sling from Sprout Pouch (since my other one that I got from our friend Michelle was too small now that the kids are bigger) a teething necklace that both of the twins are really into but you have to be ready for a boat load of drool down your chest and some new blankets that are the perfect weight for Santa Barbara. We got to meet our cousin Parker at last, but what is that? No pictures? Yea that sounds like us. (I’m sure someone has pictures but not us). After all that it was time to go back to the hotel for naps (of course) and to get ready for Dave and Lisa’s wedding.

In downtown Traverse City. Loen tried a high chair for the first time. Derbs was asleep in the sling.

It should be said that we have made it a habit of forgetting the camera as of late. Or should I say thought we forgot the camera. I was annoyed I wouldn’t be able to take any pictures only to find the camera the next day in the stroller under some diapers where I had stashed it for easy access. So the following wedding shots are courtesy of Grandpa Jim’s camera. Also at the wedding Tadd and I forgot the following: pacifiers, slings, extra diapers and wipes. Thank goodness we were staying at the hotel next door to the reception hall.

Self portrait of Grandpa Jim

Here we are the happy family (though I was cold because I forgot to bring a sweater. The kids are warm though). This was before the start of the wedding. Before Loen decided to loudly talk through all of it and I had to sneak down the center aisle to stand in the back.

Ahh, a picture of Loen showing how she can effectively make the most noise

The piper and Dave. Every wedding should have a piper. I tried to get the piper at our wedding to play “If You Want My Body” ala ‘So I Married an Axe Murderer‘. He said it couldn’t be done but I saw it in a movie dammit!

Lisa and Tadd’s cousin Dave

Ring bearer Reece and flower girl Hanna

Tadd’s Uncle Dave & Aunt Mary

Hey Derby, wake up before you miss all the fun. I’m not napping so why should you?!

I swear the kid had pants on for the majority of the wedding.

Tadd had a great time with his cousins Reece and Hanna. Here he is teaching them YMCA. Reece wants Tadd to move next door. Tadd is like the crazy Uncle that does all the dangerous circus tricks why others gasp in horror, but the kids love it

I love how Reece is having a great time.
(From L-R: Don, Tamie, Loen, Reece, Hanna, Derby, Jim & Tadd)

Reece and Hanna got some of the disposable cameras and were taking candid shots with Tadd’s encouragement. I would love to see how those pictures turn out!

Next day: Road trip!

We got to Michigan right before the big color change

At a winery by some lake..

Art shot of the grapes

Loen LOVED this swing ( and Derbs was asleep. Imagine that)

Loen and I at the LAKE FRONT. Tadd states Michigan has the most coast line of any state in the continental United States and great beaches. I say for it to be a beach it has to include an ocean not a lake. Ah our birth states clash (can you tell where we were born? Little hint I was born in: aliforniacay)

This was a special moment during our trip, the 45th parallel.

So that is about it. We flew home and had to change planes 3 TIMES. From Chicago to Denver the woman sitting next to Derby & I puked. I will say she was kind enough to turn her head from us and puke all over her husband. I felt bad for them and gave them a clean burp cloth and a stack of antibacterial wipes to try and get the majority of upchuck off of themselves. I had to turn my head from the sight of puke dripping off the phone in the middle headrest before I got sick myself. Then of course there was the incident where I almost gouged out my daughters eye on the way home. Point is were home and still recuperating. After I post this I might get around to emptying out our luggage…..

]]> http://thetadpoles.com/2008/09/24/michiganwe-camewe-sawwe-went-home/feed/ 1 http://thetadpoles.com/2008/06/28/travellin-manwith-wife-and-kids/ http://thetadpoles.com/2008/06/28/travellin-manwith-wife-and-kids/#comments Sun, 29 Jun 2008 00:51:23 +0000 Hava http://thetadpoles.com/2008/06/28/travellin-manwith-wife-and-kids/ 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.

The ceremony was beautiful and I brought both of our cameras. Our nice SLR and a little Canon Elph. I pulled the Elph out right before the ceremony began and was ready to start snapping away. Loen had other ideas for her mothers arms. So away went the camera so I could keep little miss quiet throughout the wedding. Then Loen decides to pass gas (which she is SO good at lately, she can clear a room). We thought it was gas. I was using a donation envelope I got from the pew in front to try and waft away the smell. Tadd is sitting next to me silently laughing at the horrible smell. The smell didn’t dissipate, meaning she pooped. There was a intermission between the ceremony and the reception so we went back to the hotel to feed and change the twins. By then I was exhausted. I seriously thought about letting Tadd go to the wedding alone so I could go to bed, but we (I) rallied so we could see people. Going to a wedding with children is a whole new experience. You have to eat with a baby in your arms, drinking more than a glass or two of wine is out of the question if youre driving (which I was, TADD had a wonderful time). You have to worry about how loud everything is and to be careful the twins aren’t exposed to anyone sick. I’m glad we went but I still feel like I’m trying to recover. It was tiring but the twins were so good the whole trip. The also got to see their Uncle Guy and his friend Erica on Sunday. The only bad thing is I got like 4 pictures of the whole trip and those were in the hotel room. I didn’t realize that Tadd had changed the settings on my camera for something and the pictures are a horrible resolution. I guess it wasn’t meant to be. If anyone got some pictures of the twins I would love to see them. Please email me at sbtadpoles@yahoo.com

Here is one picture we managed to get on Sunday with our friend Prausa

Loen showing off her smiles on the hotel bed. Derby wasn’t in the mood to be taped. (Click picture to see video)