All is not quiet on the home front while Mommy is away.

While Mommy was teaching Curious George new ways to abuse the language on the way to see Dora Live, the girls were all alone with Daddy. It took all of 2 minutes after mommy left for Thing 1 to throw up on the carpet in front of the TV. I picked up Thing 2 to put her behind the corral for her safety, and carried Thing 1 to the kitchen where she proceeded to throw-up again covering most of the kitchen floor. She was very upset because of being sick and being wet.

On the bright side, yes there is one, it was not because she is still sick, she had just eaten some food a little too fast and when she coughed she threw-up and kept on going. After a long time of cleaning up both the girl and the floor, which still annoyingly smells like resolve, everyone had a good lunch including Thing 1 and had a nice nap.

By the time Mommy and CG arrived back home, everything was quiet except for the boy who was too hyped up about Dora Live. Of course that was until Thing 1 and Thing 2 woke up from their nap. I went to go get them only to find Thing 1 completely naked except for a diaper and socks. Her pj's were on the floor, and no there is no stripper pole in the room so I do not know how she managed it. When I got both of them downstairs, Mommy had the wonderful luxury of discovering Thing 1 ALMOST.. I repeat ALMOST had another liquid poop event. We managed to squeak by. Of course, since she was naked, it would have just been on her bed, the floor, and probably her sister by the time we got upstairs..

Dora The Explorer

Curious George had his first live theater experience this morning watching Dora The Explorer Live. It was just the two of us, while the girls stayed with Daddy. It was a minor event driving there, with the excitement of learning a new curse word from me when I turned the wrong way into a one-way street. The darn GPS quit giving me direction when I passed my destination and I was left to my own devices how to turn around and get to the parking deck. It was the S*** word, which in the grand scheme of swear words is pretty minor. He did repeat it twice, and quit after I explained to him that it was a bad word.

The minute we walked into the theater, all the kids congregated around the merchandise for sale. What else, right?! Curious George wanted the spinning light thingamajigg.

After the 10-mile long line to use the women's restroom, we finally settled into our seats. Even CG asked whey we weren't waiting in front of the gentlemen's restroom because it didn't have a line instead.

Toward the end of the show, the most hilarious thing happened. Dora reached the City of Lost Toys where all lost toys go. She found everyone's lost toys except for her own teddy bear. She's a little sad about it and broke into a song. While she was singing, Curious George yelled at the top of his lungs, "IT'S BEHIND THE RED BALL! IT'S BEHIND THE RED BALL!!!"

From the moment the last scene opened, CG had been looking for everyone's lost toys. But to build the suspense, Dora's teddy bear was hidden behind a big red ball and was the last toy to be found. A whole lot of parents turned towards us with big smiles on their faces when CG yelled out to tell Dora where her bear was. There is a lot to be said for parents taking their little kids to a kid show. The camaraderie was palpable. Had this been any other show (without kids in the audience), we may have had to dodge flying objects.

Oh, and what's up with the prices of the Dora merchandise?! $15 for that little light thiggy!

The smile and the excitement on Curious George's face when the curtain opened was priceless. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

tampons and pre-schoolers don't mix

Yesterday, Curious George woke up before me (not an uncommon occurrence) and tried to get me to get up and start the day. When I finally got up to use the bathroom, he followed me. There he saw two big boxes of tampons.

CG: Mom, you use this for your pee-pee?

Me: Um, yeah.

CG: I use this on my pee-pee?

Me: No, Matty. Only girls use it.

CG: I use it on my penis?

Me: No. Only girls use it.

CG: On your penis?

Me: No, girls don't have penis.

CG: Why?

Me: Because girls and boys are different.

By this time, I hurry up with my morning ritual and run out the bathroom!

It's apparently not bad to be stuck in doors if you have a twin

Daddy is home recuperating from the stomach bug, so he and the girls are home most of the day together. Now, I hope the following pictures doesn't speak of what he's been teaching the girls.

Thing 2 in pink, Thing 1 in blue.

Apparently, it's all good!

Actually, I must mention that all this merry-making came after a big poopie incident this morning. Thing 1 had a major blow out, and this in the heels of having a stomach bug. As you can imagine, it was nasty! Daddy and I had to hose her down in the tub. Too bad we didn't have a tub of bleach because we would have dunked Thing 1 in there and then dove in ourselves!

Hiya, horsey!

This is Thing 2 really enjoying the horsey while I'm on the phone with Daddy. Notice Thing 1 saying "TV!" in the background. She's looking at the camera display as I was taping Thing 2.

This is what happens to Thing 1's face within 2 minutes when she gets to licking her brother's empty yogurt cup. There are little welts within the red spots, but it's not obvious on the picture. Curious George is usually pretty good about putting his milk stuff away from his sisters. He knows that it makes them sick.

On the subject of stomach bugs: It was Daddy's and Thing 1's turn at vomiting last night. We are being careful not to give it to Curious George, if it's even possible. He and I are going to see Dora The Explorer live on Saturday so he can't be sick!

Thing 1 discovers the harmonica

Thing 1 found Curious George's harmonica and tried it out yesterday morning. I'm pleasantly surprised that it didn't take her long to figure out how to use it. For the whole day, she held it and wouldn't even let Thing 2 try it out. Oh, and how familiar is that squinty look she gave, huh? Except, it's usually Thing 2 doing it.

Thing 2 didn't feel good on this video. The day before when I got them out of their cribs, I discovered her with dried vomit all over her hair. And last night, she vomited twice in the evening. Thing 1 seems to have the same thing, but not as worse. Or maybe it's still yet to come? But anyway, as luck would have it, Thing 2 shared with me whatever stomach bug she has. I spent the evening worshiping the porcelain god.

This morning the troops seem to be fine, and that includes me. Daddy took Curious George to school, and I cancelled my physical therapy appointment. Us women-folk will just be taking it easy today and pray that the men don't come down with it.

PS - Right after I posted this blog, I went to the livingroom and discovered Thing 1 has gotten into the kitchen table and eating off of whatever is left of her brother's yogurt. Thankfully, it was empty, though whatever she did get will result in little red welts around her mouth. Thing 2 was holding an unwrapped lollipop (also from the table) and playing with it. I don't think she knew what it was or she would have never let me take it away from her.

a family that is silly together has fun together!

He looks like he's imparting some great life lesson to his son. Perhaps he's explaining the wisdom in "turn-taking". Whatever it is, I feel sorry for my boy.

Oi. Really, I'm speechless.


Curious George takes advantage of our front yard's design flaw and has a bit fun going downhill. Notice that the whole time he is making sure I get the whole thing on camera. That's my silly boy!



Thing 1 wanted to get to the Jeep but doesn't want to walk on the dead grass, or should I say dead weeds?!



Together, these 2 can get in a whole lot of trouble.

taking advantage of the warmer weather

It's been so cold the past few weeks, we took advantage when it became warmer. We went outside to have some fun, even if it was cloudy.

Thing 1 in red, Thing 2 in white.

Curious George was busy loading the jeep that the girls took advantage and hopped on in.

Between the girls, they can make the jeep move. One on the steering wheel, the other on the pedal. It was a little scary to be in front of them taking pictures.

Thing 2 joins Daddy on the steps and wants to sit just like him.

And then Thing 1 joins the fun.
(Please pretend you didn't see the Christmas decoration that is still hanging on the front door, because we're doing the same)

What's going on here? Could it be a foreshadowing of Thing 1's teen-age years? Hmmmm.

Thing 1 decides to go down the steps and join Thing 2. These 2 must always have time together.

I want to be in the shot, but what's with Thing 2's face?

it's a madhouse at Chick-Fil-A

Daddy was off yesterday, so I was able to spend some one on one time with Curious George after I picked him up from school. We went shopping (um, I know this activity is for me but I did buy him a couple of toys) and then went to Chick-Fil-A for dinner. He played at the play area after he was finished. The kids were all older (mostly 6-8 years old), but it didn't matter. Curious George, being the social butterfly that he is, injected himself in the middle of things straight away. They were all playing Tag. It was a madhouse!

You can see Curious George's back at the very beginning (he's wearing light blue shirt with dark blue short sleeves) and then at the very end.

videos from the aviation museum

Thing 1 is in pink, Thing 2 is in blue.

Daddy and the kids experiment with the exhibits and try to steer the plane. Thing 1 & and Thing 2 were curious, but as soon as the fan started blowing, Thing 1 hightailed out of there. She didn't like the wind on her face. Thing 2 didn't mind though. Curious George was amused, and then he was off to something else.


Thing 1 became fascinated with the engines, "Whazzat?!" she asks over and over again. She touched the engine behind her, but I think it hurt her finger (and almost cried about it), so she moved on to other engines. Notice Thing 2 saying, "Uh oh" because the thing she touched moved. Then she tried to run away from us. In an effort to get her to come back, I said bye to make her think she's being left behind and she waves back! Silly thing. I knew she'd come back to me though. :-)

a morning at the aviation museum

We brought the kids to the aviation museum since Curious George has been more and more interested in planes lately (as evident from the books he has recently checked out at the library). Sometimes the bedtime stories aren't stories, but explanations of what airplane parts do. Anyway, the museum was much smaller than we expected, which worked out in our favor - it was easier to let the girls walk around. What also worked in our favor was that it was in the single digits in the morning and so aside from us and another family, there was nobody around!

Curious George was so excited, he could hardly stop talking and pointing. But then, the gift shot interested him more so the excursion was cut short.

We were accosted by this kid the minute we walked in because apparently, him and his brother are fraternal twins. One boy asked Curious George how he tells his sisters apart, and he went out a dissertation about checking the color of their earrings (with demonstration).

The girls had to wait a few minutes before they could be free of the stroller. Daddy and I were too busy from loosing him. The boy and he stuck to each other like glue and then were off somewhere before we could see what direction they were heading.

Daddy explains to Curious George and Thing 1 the medic airplane.

Thing 1 (pink) & Thing 2 (blue) watch Daddy try the flight simulator.

Experimenting on some of the exhibits that explains some principles of Physics.

It's the girls turn on the airplane. Only Curious George wants in too so Thing 1 was demoted to the backseat with Thing 2. Thing 1 wasn't happy about it.

We went to the local restaurant for lunch. And like Curious George have always done, he asks for the lemon the glass and sucks on it. Oh, how Daddy and I enjoy watching the resulting sour face. He started this when he was less than a year old, and so we decided to try it on the girls. This is Thing 2's sour face.

And then it's Thing 1's turn. It may seem cruel, but it's so much fun to watch. :-)

Before heading home, Daddy drove by the airport in hopes that Curious George would see a plane take off. And he did! It remains to be seen if he'll be as interested in planes like he is in trains. But as parents, all Daddy and I could do is fuel his curiosity.

it's playtime

Thing 2 is in blue, Thing 1 is in pink.

A friend of Curious George invited us to play with him at the local play area. They have missed each other since the boy stopped going to preschool. It took 2 hours to prepare the lunch, snacks and clothes, but we did make it right on time when the place opened. Due to some careful planning and packing, we managed to stay there a good 3 hours without so much as a tantrum. Yay! Curious George and his friend were off playing, so I all I had to do was to make sure he didn't leave the building, while I kept track of the twins. Daddy finds it interesting when I reported that the twins did not play with each other at all. In fact, they were barely together in one spot. The only reason that they were together a few times was when one found what the other was playing with interesting.

first time at the same place, what are the odds?

We went to Chick-Fil-A today for dinner. After we've all eaten, we let the girls play in the play area. This is their first time in a play area at 19 months old. They climbed up, but when reached the opening to the slide, Thing 1 was quite unsure. She hung around and tried to figure things out, but she didn't go for it, all the while getting pressured to go by Curious George. The internal conflict was very apparent and amusing. Thing 2 climbed up as well, but it was clear she wasn't planning on even trying.

This brought back memory of the first time we brought Curious George there for the first time. I couldn't think of how old he was until I got home and searched my old blog. It turns out that Curious George's first play area experience was at 19 months old as well, in the same exact fast food place. How awesome is that! He was a daredevil at that age and went all the way up by himself, except he didn't come down. After much calling and much worrying, I had to climb up in the darn thing and extract the little monkey. Boy, I'm glad I didn't have to do that today! However, Daddy did have to climb up an get both Thing 1 and Thing 2 at least 2 times each.

my daughters are going to grow up tomboys

Which is all the more reason to double my efforts in feminizing them. Well, maybe not. I must admit, I don't mind this at all. I grew up not liking to wear dresses and turned out fine. Right? Right? Right.

Thing 2

Thing 1
(She even lays on the floor to play with the tank and the soldier, just like Curious George.)

romp and roll

I thought I'd posted all the pictures from Christmas, but when I checked the memory card on the camera, I found more!

Here are the girls with Nana and Papaw while Daddy and I loaded the mini van to head home after the Christmas weekend.

one twin has heterochromia

Over the Christmas holiday while at the in-laws', Daddy noticed that Thing 2 also has heterochromia (right eye). It doesn't cover as much of her eye as Curious George's though. Of course we had to check Thing 1 to see if she has it, being identical and all. But Thing 2's eyes are evenly colored. We then looked at all the photos from when they were born. I found discoloration on Thing 2's eye as early as 4 months old. Daddy and I then became obsessed by the topic and searched the internet. Having 2 out of 3 kids with sectoral heterochromia clearly suggests a genetic component. Why Thing 1 doesn't have it isn't really a mystery anymore since there are a lot of genetic studies saying identical twins don't exactly have the same genes. The zygosity DNA testing we had done when they were infants said the girls are identical twins, but of course there are factors that affect gene expression.

Anyway, I told Daddy that it is highly unlikely the heterochromia came from my side of the family. Being Filipino, the variation in eye color in my family only goes from minute differences of brown. We found a picture on the internet of someone with central heterochromia and to me it looked exactly like Daddy's eyes (his eyes are hazel). So I suggested I take a picture of them. Then while we were all curious, I took pictures of Nana and Papaw's eyes (they both have hazel eyes). It seems their hazel eyes may very well be central heterochromia (they are yellowish in the center).

Thing 2's right eye. The discoloration is at 9 o'clock and it's small. We've missed it this long since it just looks like glare on pictures. The discoloration looks greenish, but Daddy says it's a lighter shade of brown.

While on the topic, here is Daddy's right eye. It is hazel with a yellowish/goldish ring in the center.

And for those who are curious as to what possible eye color offspring results when a dark brown-eyed asian gal gets it on with a hazel-eyed caucasian man, here is my eye.

Our little man's heterochromia is here. Thing 1's eyes is exactly the same color as Thing 2's (without the discoloration).

some lovin' feelin' this Christmas

Thing 2 getting cozy with Nana.

Nana was going for a smooch, but Thing 2 stuck out her tongue. She's a sneaky one.

Thing 1 plays hard to get when Thing 2 tries to kiss her. Hugs and kisses are a whole lot better than biting, I say.

Curious George and Thing 1 show some love (before the tackling begins).