three silly ducklings

We've moved!

2011-07-25T10:56:00.001-04:00

I haven't posted in this blog for a while because our family has grown by one more. I no longer have three silly ducklings, but four stubborn monkeys.

If you'd like to know how they are growing up and what kind of mischief they are continually getting into, please visit us herehttp://stubbornmonkeys.blogspot.com

Plum District Deals

2011-07-14T23:45:00.002-04:00

I am the new Community Relations Consultant for Plum District Dallas! Have you heard of Plum District? It is a deals website BY women for savvy moms out there. When you sign up, you pick your region and you will get alerted to deals in your surrounding area. If you like the deal, you go buy it!

Plum District will reveal it's new website on Friday, and so to celebrate you can

get 20% OFF one purchase by using the code buhbye at check out. So simple!

we've grown by one more!

2010-06-05T22:49:00.003-04:00

I haven't posted in this blog for a while because our family has grown by one more. I no longer have three silly ducklings, but four stubborn monkeys.

If you'd like to know how they are growing up and what kind of mischief they are continually getting into, please visit us here http://stubbornmonkeys.blogspot.com

sibling love and naughtiness

2010-04-20T11:18:00.003-04:00

As usual, I am playing catch up with my blog. Here is some love and naughtiness from the three terrors taken 12/21/2009 back in NC. I meant to send this to Daddy since he was already in Texas at this time, but I don't think I even got around to doing that.

Thing 2 is in Red and Thing 1 is in Blue.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T19:34:00.003-04:00

Last week, we were able to enjoy an egg hunt sponsored by Daddy's company. Good thing too since today, we stayed indoors...having kids under the weather and all. Curious George is recovering from double ear infection and upset stomach because of the antibiotics he is on.

Excited to begin!

Yup, that's my swollen puffy self at 27 weeks. My cheeks look like I'm chewing 3 or 4 Bazooka gum. What's amusing at this stage is that the children all bonk their head on my belly first when they run to me for a hug. :)
(Thing 1 in pink, Thing 2 in green)

Daddy and I still think these 2 aren't identical, even though DNA evidence says otherwise. :)

This little man is not so little anymore. Where does the time go?

This egg hunt is for 3 year olds, because we were too late to participate on the 2 yr old. Curious George is merely assisting Thing 1. :)

Lots of eggs!

Of course, we can't leave without inspecting the goodies in the eggs.

Passing off the egg. It's the inside that matters.

Catching breath.

Thing 1 takes after her big brother when it comes to mouth movement while concentrating.

They do enjoy anything and everything that has to do with coloring.

potty training and singing

2010-03-04T10:27:00.002-05:00

This is Thing 1 trying to sing the other day. Lately, both she and Thing 2 can be heard singing whatever song they can remember; ABCs, Where is Thumbkin, Twinkle Twinkle.

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As far as potty training goes, everything is going well. Thing 2 has it all down pat. She has stayed dry and occasionally stay dry even through the night. She is not to excited about pooping in the toilet though, so she ends up not pooping everyday like she normally have done she's she was born (actually 3-4x a day). So when she does end up pooping, it makes the experience even scarier for her when she feels a little bit constipated.

Thing 1 is also doing well. She stays dry, with rare wet accidents. And the wet accident was at school when they went they played in the playground. She is having problem pooping in the toilet also. For 2 weeks, she does her BM on her undies. Though she knows she's about to, and asks to go potty, she doesn't do it there. Today though, was a milestone. She finally did go. Woo hoo!

the twin posse

2010-02-18T14:50:00.003-05:00

The girls are truly enjoying preschool and we are very happy about that. Their teacher is wonderful and would always give me little updates while she and one other buckles the girls in their car seats when I pick them up. Sometimes, the updates aren't so good, but always amusing.

Thing 2 has been put in time-out because she continually put her feet on the table. She continues to stay dry wearing big girl undies!

Thing 1 gets anxious (not sure if this is in a good or bad way) when they wait in the hall for carpool pick up. One day, she was told "No" and as a response, she drooped her shoulders and said, "I'm sad!"

Both girls have started the whole class by saying, "MEMEMEMEME!" when the want to do something. Now poor Mrs. Brazeal needs to curb this behavior from the whole class instead of just 2 little girls. lol

definitely ready for school

2010-02-09T14:38:00.002-05:00

I slept late preparing backpacks, lunches, packing extra clothes for 3 kids the other night. Yesterday was the girls' first day of preschool. We dropped Curious George off first, and on their school. There is a carpool system, so I don't need to get off the car, but being that it's their first day, I went in and dropped them off. The girls immediately took to all the toys in the room which allowed me to chat a little bit with their teacher. After 10 minutes or so, I said the mantra we've been reciting all weekend long to prepare them for this day. "Katie is going to school, Jojo is going to school. Mommy has to say bye-bye! Then Mommy comes back to get you after your nap. " The two of them nodded, until I get to the "Mommy has to say bye-bye" to which, Thing 2 made a little pout. But seeing Thing 1 be all smiles helped her erase the frown. I walked out, then disappeared.

Of course I wasn't going to leave the building just yet. :) I went to the front, chatted with the assistant director and then headed back to the classroom to peak to see how the girls were doing. They were playing happily, so then I left.

I went to Target, bought the girls clothes. As I was about to leave, it was raining cats and dogs, so I went to get iced coffee and watched the rain fall. It was quiet. aaaah. :) Got home, got the master bath in order, did some home business and waited until I had to pick them up. Then I got an email from their teacher as to how their day went. Thing 1 ate well, and slept without a problem. Thing 2 didn't eat very much and was wide awake. She then asked the teacher what why Thing 1 was asleep and so she had to explain that it was because she was tired and it was time to rest. ;)

At the carpool pick up, I found myself very excited to see them again. They were all smiles. Thing 2 was in a daze, having been woken up after only 15 minutes of nap (she apparently finally fell asleep). Thing 1 was beaming. I asked if they had fun and they both responded, "uh huh!". It was a shorter nap than usual, since they usually napped from 1-3pm, but it was enough.

Today, I had to dropped a form off at their school. I left then in car, but as we were pulling out to leave, Thing 1 said, "No home, Mommy! School!" She can't wait to go back to school.

All in all, the day went well. There was not a single tear. Thing 2 even stayed dry and went to use the toilet. I had her in pull-ups but packed only undies. But they never had to change her since she stayed dry.

It was a good day for the girls.

time to brag about my boy

2010-02-06T21:08:00.000-05:00

When the girls and I picked up Curious George yesterday a handful of kids were drawing. Two of the kids were drawing people, one was making something resembling people, one was drawing a house. CG was drawing this. I asked him what it was and he said it's a water machine. It's a machine with a series of pipes that brings water (and later on, gas) to the house. He said this was for Daddy.

We asked him how he came up with it, and he explained that he sees it in his head and then it goes to his eyes. When the picture is in his eyes, the colors flash and that's what tells him what colors to use.

I'm not an expert, but I think most kids this age draw about what they are familiar with, not abstract stuff.

His teacher thinks nothing of the drawing, but we are very impressed by it. Both Daddy and I are proud. :)

Potty training and preschool!

2010-02-05T15:03:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, Daddy and I have decided to enroll the girls in preschool at a local "christian" church. I put it in quotation because when I asked the director about it, she said they are "bible believing, non denominational church". Alrighty then, I thought. They teach the bible. I'm not too worried since the girls are still young and we definitely do not want to keep them there forever. Their school year ends in May. At that time, we'll have to think of where to enroll the girls for the summer and fall.

But the important thing is, both the director and assistant director were very friendly, as well as the teachers. So the girls will start on Monday and they will be in school Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9am to 2pm.

It's going to be a mad rush to head out the door with Curious George having to be at school before 8:30. Then the pick up is going to be crazy, too. I pick CG up at 5pm.

I want the girls potty trained soon. So since the school is willing to work with the parents on this, I decided to start yesterday. At 11am, I put both the girls in big girl undies. By 1pm, Thing 1 has wet 4 pairs of pants. At the same time, Thing 2 has only wet once. So I decided I would concentrate on Thing 2 for now until she is trained, and then train Thing 1.

Thing 2 even napped in her undies, but of course she woke up soaking wet. The whole day, she told me every time she wet her pants. I was encouraged by that. Today, we've been out most of the morning so I put her in diaper. But while out, she told me, "PEE!" so I ran her to the public restroom and sat her on the toilet. By then of course, she already wet her diaper.

When we got home, I kept an eye on her and kept taking her to the toilet. The first 2 times, she told me she peed, which meant she tinkled a few drops. But then every time she went to watch TV, a few minutes later, she would hide behind a chair, so I ran her to the bathroom again. By the 3rd time, she let it all out! :) I think we're now starting to get the idea that she needs to let it all out in the toilet and pee. Yipee! I feel very optimistic.

On Monday, I plan on keeping Thing 2 in undies while she is in school and keeping Thing 1 in diapers for now. We'll see how this all goes.

our very own princesses

2010-02-03T22:07:00.004-05:00

I bought the girls matching shirts with lace tu-tu-like frilly edges from Disney store (thanks to the Christmas cash from Grandma) because they are starting to love princess things, but they didn't fit. Silly me for thinking size 4 was going to fit my ginormous 2.5 yr old daughters. So we returned them (and good golly, it's not easy to shop at Disney with 2 little girls by yourself!!) and ended up with these 2 dresses. I made them pick, and Thing 1 picked a the Little Mermaid one, and Thing 2 picked Tinker Belle one. I almost made the same mistake and picked up size 4's, but had a moment of clarity before paying and grabbed size 5/6 instead. They are a little big, but this means they should be able to enjoy it for a year....hopefully.

Thing 1 on the left, Thing 2 on the right.

Thing 1 looks like she fills the dress quite nicely, but it's very long and she still does have room.

I think, perhaps, this will still fit for Halloween. :)

Don't ask me why I make them kiss. It's just very cute. :)

On another note, we visited a preschool for them today. It's getting harder for me to do anything when they are all home. And it's getting very hard on me on nights they (one or the other) wake me up 5x in one night and then nobody (namely, Curious George) lets me take a nap! I only have 2 months before Baby #4 makes his arrival and it's not that much time to unpack and get the house in order. I'm quite worried now.

Anyway, we thought the girls would go to the same school Curious George goes to, but that's not the best right now. It will leave us with but $60 to our name every month after all the bills are paid, and that's not including trying to make a dent on debts. So we visited a church preschool instead. It was a lot cheaper and the people were quite nice. I got a good impression, so they may end up there in a week or two for 3 days a week.

Cupcakes!

2010-01-26T13:35:00.001-05:00

Thing 2 is not so crazy about chocolate, but the other two are. Best of all, the cake and icing are milk-free!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Using some quiet energy

2010-01-24T17:55:00.001-05:00

Our stuff was delivered on Friday, and was unpacked (some but not all) on Saturday. Now instead of being surrounded by boxes and boxes, we surrounded by our stuff on every surface imaginable. Who knew "unpacking" service means they take stuff out of the box and put it on a flat surface.

Now we are busy unpacking in the house and packing the apartment in time for check out tomorrow morning. With the craziness, the kids have been left to their own devices and as a result have way too much energy. With Curious George, it also means difficult behavior. He has been flat out defiant lately.

Anyway, they founf their PlayDo somewhere in the mound of unboxed toys and now playing with it. We can only hope that this makes them agreeable instead of little monsters later.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

The fearless one

2010-01-21T15:48:00.003-05:00

This is a play area at the local Burger King and it's designed for older kids, 4 years old and up. As you can see, Thing 2 is not afraid of it. Just as she wasn't afraid to slide down a steep inflatable play area a few weeks ago. She was a little afraid when she got to the top, but she conquered her fear by turning around, belly on the slide, feet feet first...and she had fun!Thing 2 and Curious George had lots of fun sliding down in different positions.

Thing 1 is a bit more cautious lately. She climbed up to the see through area, and then she climbed back down. The steps are little too far apart for her.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

this and that... update

2010-01-20T23:47:00.004-05:00

Curious George has been in school for a week (3 days a week). He said it's fun, but one day while getting ready for bed he said no one plays with him. I was a bit worried, but then he went on and said, "All they do is learn about states! and nobody plays!" Aaaah. So much clearer now. For laughs, I mentioned this to his teacher and was told that they do most of their academics in the morning (after starting the day with the pledge of allegiance) and play time after that.

I finally found a doctor here in Texas, and had my first appointment there today. I ended up with a male doctor, because the female doctor wouldn't be available until later. It worked out, since this doctor was pretty nice and talked to me and answered all my questions. I really do have better luck with male doctors. He did mention something new to me. He said that since I am a Strep A carrier (after battling strep throat 4x in 5 months, though we're all hoping it's been eradicated with the 2 strong antibiotics I was put on), I will have to be put on antibiotics while preparing for the c-section. It's not a danger to the baby, unlike Strep B, but the danger is with my incision being infected because of the bacteria. The hospital is right next to the office building, and according to my new doctor, it is a great hospital with a Level III NICU. My girls were born in the hospital with only a Level I.

We also had access to the rental house today. So after driving Curious George to school, the girls and I spent a little time there looking around. The girls liked it, though they kept asking for where the tables and chairs were. :) After we picked up Curious George to school, we spent time there again for him to see it. The house is a small house (definitely too small for all of us though, but big enough for a temporary rental). It has 4 bedrooms; one bedroom for CG, one for the girls, and then master. The 4th will be used as an office/activity/computer room for the kids. There is a small breakfast area, a small kitchen, formal dining room and livingroom with fireplace. The best part is the yard...again, it's not as big as what we used to have, but it's big enough and nice and flat and fenced in. After 4 weeks in the apartment, and no outside space, we're all thankful for the yard!

Our belongings will be delivered to the rental house either on Friday or Saturday. I am hoping for it to be on Friday so that I only have the girls with me, with CG in school. Daddy works on Saturdays. You'd think it'll be easy to just tell people where to place your boxes of junk, but being that I look like I'm 12 months pregnant, it isn't easy. Plus there are little ones afoot that I have to keep from getting trampled. Then we still have to haul our stuff from the apartment to the house. We need to vacate the apartment by Monday.

Oh, and there is a matter of damage charges to the apartment. This is a corporate housing that is fully furnished. But we are responsible for any damage we do it. Thing 1 found a metal toy of CG's and started scratching the LCD flat panel TV with it. I found her doing it too late, so there are a lot of scratches. From what we've been able to search on the internet, scratches on the screen is very expensive. It would be cheaper to buy a new one. So, we are either going to be charged through our butts for it, or we pay for the amount of buying a new one. In any case, it's not going to be cheap.

The girls are now always begging to go to school with their Kuya (or as they pronouce it - "KU-LA"). If we money fell from trees, I would have no issue putting them to school, especially to have them potty trained! Potty training isn't doing well right now. They are both ready, but just refusing to use the potty. Thing 2 especially stays dry for hours, even after a nap. But even if I catch her before she pees, and sit her down on the toilet, she still refuses to use it. ARGH!

Daddy is very busy at work, but he loves it. He leaves at 6:30 in the morning everyday, and doesn't get back home until 6:30, and he works on Saturdays (though shorter hours). I'm just hoping all this hard work pays off and he can take off here and there when necessary after baby is born. Thing 2 asks everyday, at times every few minutes, "Where'd Daddy go?". I answer, "at work." She replies, "at work?". "Yes." Then 3 minutes later, she asks again. Since CG has been in school, she even adds, "Where'd Kula go?"

first day in a new pre-k

2010-01-15T12:33:00.003-05:00

Curious Goerge's class start at 8:30. I wanted to be there by 8am today so I had to wake everyone up at 7. While it doesn't sound like a big deal, it's a little early for them. On their own, they don't start waking up until 7:15 to 7:30. So this morning, all we had time for is change clothes and take breakfast with us. We made it out at 7:40 and the GPS said we'd get there by 8. When we got to our exit, there was a police blockage. I exited off the next exit but when we got to the same street, it was closed on the other end. Great. I had to fiddle with the GPS on the go, and didn't think I did it right. By 8:20, we were circling around the school. I knew we were close, but just don't know how to get there. I called the school, but the director was no help. She only knew the way she takes everyday. Gee, thanks. Finally, I drove around and around and got there by 8:30. Our drive should be much shorter once we move to the rental house in a week.

Both of Curious George's teachers are asian. One is half Filipino and half Chinese (though mostly Filipino) and the other is Chinese, I think. They're pretty friendly. They have a field trip to the local library today, so it would be Curious George's first field trip. After chit-chatting with the teachers, we said our goodbyes. I told the boy I'd pick him up later. He asked if I would pick him up after lunch. I said no, I would be picking him up way later, after their nap and more school stuff. To that he replied, "NAP? They take naps?" Yuppers. The girls begged to stay. They find school fun. Unfortunately, we'll have to delay a bit longer for financial reasons...unless Daddy finally wins the lottery.

I forgot write an update on Curious George's liver test. I got a call from the pediatrician on Tuesday saying that his liver functions are normal. Test showed he's had mono before and that something about the test is elevated and he wants a stool sample. I was too elated about the fact that there is nothing wrong with his liver that it took a moment to sink in that I would have to collect poop. Ick. It's not as much yucky, being that I'm still changing 2 poopie butts, but how to collect it? Thanks to a couple of mamas that gave me ideas.

Daddy and I are a little stumped that we had no idea that Curious George has had mono. I Googled mono on kids and said that it's easy to miss because of the cold symptoms, but the fatigue is usually unmistakable because it takes little kids about 2-4 weeks to get over it. There were several weeks in N.C. when it didn't seem to matter that he had a nap everyday, he was still tired all the time. It could have been then. We'll never know. At least now we know. Having had mono himself, Daddy said we'd have to look out for it because once you've had mono, you never get rid of it.

A new preschool and haircut for everyone!

2010-01-13T15:01:00.002-05:00

The first order of business for the day was to visit a preschool. I called several places, and narrowed the place to just one. We visited a Primrose school and ultimately ended up signing Curious George up. He loved the place, and based on what the teachers told me, it is exactly where he should be on his knowledge development. They have computers in the room, they are working on writing, math and reading. Everyone of which he is already working on. It's not a cheap school, but they let Curious George in for 3 full days a week. After being in schools that didn't cater to his abilities for the past year, we are more than happy to get him back in to something that will challenge him. Besides, he's off to public school this fall and then we'll only have to think about the twins in preschool.

I told Curious George he could start on Monday, but he insisted on starting immediately. Thankfully, they allowed him to start this Friday.

The girls also loved the toddler classroom. They wanted to join right in, but unfortunately, we need to offset the cost by delaying their start by a few more months.

Then we went to get a haircut for Curious George. I found a place for kids that was close by and it turned out to be an excellent place. He was super excited and before leaving the place, he already asked when he could go back. :) The good thing is, it's only about 5 miles from our rental house! (which we will be moving into next week)

He got to pick which vehicle chair he wanted to sit on, and a choice of movie to watch. I love this haircut! He looks so handsome and ready for his new school.

Then it was Thing 2's turn. She was excited to get on the police car, but shed a few tears when the woman started cutting her hair. But after a few minutes, she was happy again.

All happy!

Thing 1 was last. She protested at first. She also chose the police car and both she and Thing 2 watched Cinderella.

They only got a 2 inch trim. I really wanted their hair shorter because it's getting harder to take care of, but I mentioned to the lady that Daddy wanted them left long. So she insisted on only taking 2 inches off. They look great and it was a pleasant first hair cut for them. The woman even gave me locks of their hair. Awwww.

Then it was time to go back to the apartment after a long morning. Dallas is intimidating with all the over pass highway interchanges. Everytime I go back to the apartment, I miss a turn! Thankfully, with a GPS, I will always find my way back. But this is why, as if the actual interchange isn't crazy enough, take a look at the GPS!

Curious George's first blood work

2010-01-11T22:12:00.001-05:00

Late this afternoon, I rushed the kids to the hospital where LabCorp is in order to do Curious George's blood work up. I met Daddy there, since we know it was going to be difficult for Curious George. I helped Curious George, while Daddy took care of the girls.

I didn't tell Curious George what we're there for until I pulled in the hospital parking lot. "Why are we at the hospital?", Curious George asked. "Matty, we're here to make sure you're not sick. I need you to be brave." I told him. At that he started his whining, "I don't want a shot!"

I couldn't even get him in through the door when the called him in. And when we finally made it in, I sat him on my lap and the tech made me hold his arms down. With all the crying and a little trashing, I was afraid something bad was going to happen. I urged him not to thrash around or it would hurt more, which he thankfully listened to. I told him not to look at it, but with my hands occupied holding his arms, I couldn't make him not look. Then he started screaming, "When is it going to be done?"

The tech had to "fish" for the vein, which of course resulted in a quarter sized bruise. But at least he didn't have to pull the needle out and re-poke him. Finally, when it was said and done, we made him choose where we would eat for dinner and told him he could get any toy he wanted at the store.

Before we left the hospital, which happened to be a Children's Hospital, we let them play around and watch the fountains.

That's Daddy in the middle, looking like he's ready to pass out.

Thing 2 tries to climb up the elephant.

With a little help, she makes it!

Daddy rides with Thing 1. Daddy said that after he helps her up, she wants to promptly get back down saying, "Too big, Daddy."

The 3 stoogies trying to climb up the same elephant.

We won't know the result of the blood work until late this week.

we hope Curious George isn't sick

2010-01-11T17:15:00.002-05:00

Daddy made me realize last week that the children has never gotten their H1N1 booster shot, which was supposed to be given 30 days after the first one. So today, I found a random pediatrician close to the rental house and took them.

Thing 1 is now a whoping 41 lbs and Thing 2 is 36 lbs. They are both 36 inches tall. Curious George is 52 lbs and is 43 1/2 inches tall. I knew it was smart of me to actually stop carrying anyone! I just hope Daddy realizes the same thing because it's ruining it for all of us, if you know what I mean.

Curious George didn't get shots at his 4 year check last year, so the doctor wanted him to get it today and delay the H1N1 booster until a month later (he said H1N1 isn't bad right now anyway). But after feeling around his belly, he said his liver feels lower than it should be or it is larger than it should be. So the doctor ordered blood work to check on liver functions and also to check for mono. The doctor also asked if anyone in the family has Hepatitis, which of course none of us do not. I'm a little taken aback, because he hasn't acted sick in a while, except for the occasional sniffles.

I was going to take him to do the lab work sometime tomorrow or the next day, but Daddy is worried and wants this done today. So we're going to meet at the lab today (so he could keep an eye on the girls, and I can help Curious George). Curious George has told me just the other day that "he doesn't want to have a blood pressure". He meant that he didn't want his blood taken because it looks scary. Daddy took him with him one day when he had gotten it done. While Curious George didn't act scared at the time, I guess now we know he got scared somewhat. I'm just hoping he does well. Unlike other days when I prepare him for what's to come, I think we will keep this one secret until we get there. I do hope it doesn't backfire.

mall play area fun

2010-01-09T22:35:00.005-05:00

Yesterday Daddy was greeted by 4 people crying when he came home from work. In the last hour, the kids have decided to go crazy on me and I couldn't quiet them down, or calm them down and I have had it when Thing 2, after bouncing nonstop on the couch, bounced off and hit her head on the coffee table before falling to the floor. I made sure she was OK, sat on the chair with her and picked up a flip flop and started hitting the coffee table about 5 times like a mad woman. For an instant, the 3 hellions quieted down and stared at me. Then Thing 2 continued crying. Thing 1 started crying because I was mad, and Curious George started crying because I was crying. It was a mad house. There was nothing more I wanted to do then run out of there. That was the scene Daddy walked into.

A week of being indoors was not good for these kids, or me. It's been too cold to go out.

So today, we headed out. Thank goodness Daddy didn't have to work today. So we took the kids to the mall and let them play in the play area.

Thing 1 is enjoying the firetruck slide, but spacing out at the moment.

Thing 2 found Marvin the Martian. :)

Curious George loved this one, too.

Thing 1 found a big girl to talk to and was enamored for a moment.

Curious George found a friend (a soon to be 4 year old that's almost as tall as him). So they pretty much ran around together.

Thing 2 (foreground) steps on the flower chairs on the floor.

They loved everything. They do their own thing but they look for each other and invite each other to play the same thing every so often.

Note my attempt to keep the girls different, yet the same. :p Thing 2 has 2 french braids, and Thing 1 only has rubber bands. Well, actually I wasn't trying to make them somewhat different. I just got finger cramps after braiding Thing 2's hair.

something fun and then something scary

2010-01-07T10:49:00.003-05:00

The kids were going stir crazy being cooped up in the apartment, so yesterday we ventured outside. I took the apartment complex map with me and bundled up the kids. We managed to take some wrong turns and found a fountain they can run around in. We were outside for an hour. We were all cold and hungry by the time we made it back in.

Here the kids relatively bundled up. It was not that cold, but being outside for an hour made us feel the chill. Thing 1 is wearing a red jacket and Thing 2 is wearing pink.

Here is the fountain we found. I just wished the apartment complex had more grass area, but I think that's too much to ask for right in Dallas where everything is built up.

Curious George is asking to go outside again today, but there is a freeze advisory until Sunday. Today the windchill is in the single digits and tomorrow it may even be colder. It's not much for an issue for me, having experienced Chicagoland weather, but we don't really have warm clothes!

Now for the scary part. Daddy cold me about 1pm yesterday to tell me that he was just in an accident. He was riding with 3 other people in someone's car (F150) when someone ran a red light and collided with them. He said he was alright just with stiff neck and back. He was in a hurry to get back to work, so we left it at that. I was shaken up and worried by the phone call, but not too bad.

At about 3pm, I decided to call Daddy back to see how he was feeling and to get more details. Then, the question popped in my head "were you wearing your seatbelt?". And he said "No." Right then and there, I was instantly angry and started sobbing. What stupidity?! He said he didn't mean to NOT wear it, but it slipped his mind. Haven't we made it a point with Curious George that we NEVER move until EVERYONE has had their seatbelt on.

Daddy was admittedly shaken up and beating himself up over it. We both know how lucky he was and we thank God for it. The car he was in was just coming from a stop (2nd vehicle from the light), so they were probably barely accelerating when they were hit by a smaller car. The smaller car slid, almost spinning, but it hit a utility poll. According to Daddy, the car was totaled, but the driver was not hurt. The F150 he was in was undrivable so they all had to hitch a ride with other people back to work. Medics came to their work to check everyone out, so the news spread about the accident and everyone checked on the all of them involved in the accident. Thank God.

While I was thanking God that Daddy was alright, I was not happy about the fact that he wasn't wearing a seatbelt. Words that came out of my mouth were, "had you been any faster, you would have been found several feet outside of the truck" and "you would have had broken bones from bracing yourself!"

I love this man, and the thought of loosing him is very scary. But less scary than the fact that 3 of his children would not have remembered him had something fatal happened to him, and 1 would never have known him at all. Forget the fact that I will be left alone with small children and in a state where we know no one.

Jesus, I thank you for all the blessings we've received and continue to receive. Thank you for keeping Daddy safe yesterday.

Daddy apologized and promised never to forget to use his seatbelt.

Preschool is in session

2010-01-05T21:51:00.003-05:00

Being in tight quarters and having no easy access to outside as is typical of apartment living, I've decided to take the opportunity to reopen "Mommy's Preschool". Here are the result of 1 hour's worth of work today. I may have grown some gray hairs...but at least they learned something. :)

Curious George did several worksheets but this is something I am pretty proud of. I told him what the direction said, but the girls were too busy tearing up the apartment so I needed to turn my attention to them before I could help Curious George write the numbers. By the time I was able to help him, he has written the numbers himself. :) The only thing that is off is that he wrote the number 6 backwards.

This is Thing 2's work. I explained to her the word "short" and then she just took off. Pretty amazing. The circles are all her own.

Thing 1 was too tired to pay attention to me babble on about "short" but she did get well on the shapes. She was able to identify triangle, square and circle on her own.

It makes me feel guilty sometimes how little time I have spent on the girls helping them with things like this, when in comparison Curious George has done many things like this at this age. But it seems the girls know more than I think they do, because they are picking things up much faster than I expect.

I also started focusing on potty training again yesterday. Armed with pull-ups, a sticker chart I printed for free from the internet and a sticker book from Wal-mart, we plow on. I have several set times for them to sit on the potty and they have done well. In fact, this morning during breakfast, Thing 2 said, "poo" so I sat her down. A few minutes later, there was a nice stinky suprise. Yay! Though later in the day, I think she was feeling the pressure to poo on the potty again. She doesn't understand yet that she can just pee and get the same cheer from everyone.

Dallas highways

2010-01-04T16:08:00.002-05:00

This is something unique and something we've never seen elsewhere. The highway interchange is so extensive that it almost scares me. Being pessimistic, I can't help but wonder what happens during a natural disaster? I hope no one ever finds out.

It is awe inspiring. I read that it's one of the biggest in the nation.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

twinkle twinkle little star

2010-01-02T23:36:00.002-05:00

Here are the girls singing Twinkle Twinkle little star while we were on the webcam. They just love seeing themselves on the screen. :)

This is when we first got the webcam in order to video conference with Daddy when he left for Texas without us. Curious George loved experimenting with the features.

sleep-walking

2009-12-31T20:41:00.005-05:00

We were all exhausted when we arrived at the apartment. The girls slept without a problem and I thought Curious George wouldn't have a problem either, granted he was too excited because of the 2 massive Legos Santa left for him here. At closed to midnight, while I was walking around the upstairs getting ready for bed, I saw out of the corner of my eye someone walking. I got startled since there was no lights on, just night lights. Curious George was heading toward the stairs. I grabbed him and called his name, but he barely glanced at me. So I held him firmly and I said kept saying it was Mommy. Finally, he stopped 'fighting' me. I had him pee and put him right back in bed.

It's the first time he has ever sleep walk, and it was a little scary because we're in a new place and he could have fallen down the stairs. I grabbed one of the wooden baby gates we have (thank goodness to Daddy for taking those with us!) and put it on the top of the stairs. Every night since then, I have to put that up. But there has been no more incident after that. Phew!

Speaking of Lego, we went to one of the malls around here today and went to a Lego store. Daddy promised Curious George a while ago that when he gets a job he would buy him a Power Miner Lego he had been asking for. Of course when we got there, Curious George got busy looking at other stuff.

One woman working at the Lego store greeted us when we walked in, eager to give recommendations I guess. She asked how old Curious George was, but when we told him he is nearly 5, she slowly inched away. I don't know why though. Maybe because she thought she wasn't going to get a big sale because there is not much Lego for 5 years old? How wrong she was. tsk tsk tsk Curious George doesn't have the patience to build a massive one at this time, but he does build them himself by following directions.

Texas, our new home state.

2009-12-30T22:52:00.003-05:00

Our journey to Dallas, TX began on Dec. 27th. We planned on leaving at 9am and drive some 450 miles to get us to our first stop in Lebanon, TN. Well, the packing didn't get done the night before because we had so many things to cram into the minivan. Curious George, who sat in the 3rd row only had a little space. He had to crawl above many things stuffed everywhere just to get to his seat. The sad thing is, we didn't get to bring his fish, Punky. We'd told him we would take him but when all was packed, there were tons of things that didn't fit, including Punky. Curious George was sad at first, but he was very mature about it. We told him we'd get him another one and so he was fine. He said he would name the next fish, Punky also. The next day, we packed through the morning and didn't end up leaving NC until it was 11. We arrived in Lebanon, TN exhausted at 11pm.

The next day, we began our 380 mile drive at 9:30 after a complimentary breakfast. We were exhausted from the day before. We arrived in Little Rock, AK around 4pm, which gave us plenty of time to relax and rest.

Little Rock, AK

On the 3rd day, we only had to drive about 300 miles. We got to the hotel at 3pm. It had been nice the entire drive until we arrived in Dallas where it was snowing/raining. When we got to the apartment parking deck, our cargo top didn't fit. So Daddy had to empty it outside into the van, and then carry the cargo top by himself to the apartment. Poor man.

After all the traveling was said and done, here is Daddy and Curious George assembling Lego Police that Santa gave him.

And as usually, the girls could be found in front of the TV. They also immensely enjoyed the Lego Duplo Santa left them.

Eating sandwich while watching TV. (Thing 1 in orange, Thing 2 in red.)

Christmas 2009

2009-12-30T22:38:00.004-05:00

On Christmas morning, bright and early at 6:15ish, Curious George woke up and asked if he could check to see if Santa has been at the house. In order to buy a few more minutes of sleep, we told him it was still night time and to go back to sleep. Of course he didn't go back to sleep. After 20 minutes, we couldn't hold him off any longer and told him to go ahead. He went up to the fireplace and saw that the cookies and milk has been eaten, so he came running down to us screaming, "SANTA'S BEEN HERE! SANTA'S BEEN HERE!"

(Thing 1 is in pink, Thing 2 is in yellow)

We didn't have as many presents this year, but it worked out for the best. They were able to sufficiently enjoy each toy. The biggest hit with Curious George so far was Buzz Lightyear. Santa delivered some of their presents in Texas because he knew we might not have enough room in the minivan.

The girls had some similar presents (different colors), and some different ones.

Snow!

2009-12-20T23:42:00.006-05:00

OK, according to the news, Richmond area got around a foot of snow yesterday. This is unusually large amount of snow for the area. And we missed it! We're here in NC. We got about 2 in. of snow. But that didn't stop the kids from enjoying watching the snow flakes come down. And it definitely didn't stop Curious George from wanting to go outside to enjoy it. He asked about going out nonstop.

Here he is enjoying the snow. He cleaned the van a little bit and then took Daddy's body board to sled down the hill. By this time the snow is mostly icy. Surprisingly, the body board worked better this time in 2 inches of snow compared to the 8 inches of snow we got in February this year. Remember the pizza pan sled? Aah, that will never cease to make me laugh.

I didn't let the girls go out because they are under the weather with cough and asthma.

missing Daddy

2009-12-18T22:12:00.002-05:00

Daddy has been apart from us for 8 days. Daddy talks to the kids at least once a day, and they are doing great with that. Curious George talks about he and Daddy's plan on buying Lego once we get to Texas. Thing 2 asks where Daddy is in the morning and at random times during the day. Thing 1 does the same thing and sometimes explains to Thing 2 that Daddy is downstairs. :)

But Thing 1 is ever so slightly acting different. Between her and Thing 2, she usually do not come to me unless she's feeling especially tender like when she's sick or hurt (she is usually more of Daddy's girl outside of those tender moments). But these past few days, she's been coming to me more often. Then this evening, they finally got to "see" Daddy again when we set up a webcam on both ends. I got my webcam first, so I've been having the kids have fun with it by letting them watch themselves make goofy faces and let them figure that they were indeed looking at themselves.

But tonight when they saw Daddy instead, everyone went crazy happy. After several minutes, Thing 1 began saying, "couch? fun? couch, Daddy?" I thought she was asking Daddy if he was sitting on the couch. But then we began to understand what she really meant, and Daddy began explaining that he couldn't sit with her right now. But in a few days, he will be here. At that point, Thing 1 began crying and crying and crying. She turned to me for a hug, and would quiet down, but then when she turned toward the computer screen and saw Daddy again, she would cry again. It's heart breaking to see her this way.

Only 5 more days and Daddy would be back here with us. As I was saying good night to Curious George he said to me, "Today is day 5. Tomorrow is day 4. When it's day zero, Daddy will be here."

change is not easy

2009-12-17T23:02:00.005-05:00

Today is Curious George's last day at his preschool here in NC. He has not been there that long, only since June or July. But considering all the changes he has been through in the last 9 months, he has done exceptionally well. And he will continually face many many more changes in the coming months. I worry about him. It isn't easy making best friends and then leaving them behind to make new ones. But yet, he has been a trooper. While I was gathering his things at school, he paused and said, "Oh yeah, I have to say goodbye." He proceeded to say goodbye to his friends individually as he gave them a hug.

It's only slightly easier that he is social, independent, friendly and he throws himself 100% on everything he encounters. I guess that's why his preschool teacher is a bit emotional about him leaving.

And through this recent change, he has to deal with a grumpy pregnant Mommy. I confess, I am a little short lately and I am pretty sure that I will just get worse as my belly gets bigger and bigger and become harder to move. I also feel sorry for my girls. I pray for patience so that I don't emotionally scar my children too badly when we settle in our new town and in our new life.

an excited big brother!

2009-12-17T15:17:00.003-05:00

Last night, as Curious George was watching TV before bed, and I was sitting next to him using the laptop, the baby was being very active. (as usual, at this time). I took Curious George's hand and placed it on my belly, and in the matter of seconds he felt 2 big movements. He was so excited! He said, "Baby kicked me 2 times!" Then we called Daddy and he told him all about it.

I've placed Daddy's hand on my belly, but he never got lucky.

Curious George is definitely the first to feel his baby brother move externally.

Introducing Little Man #2!

2009-12-16T09:25:00.002-05:00

These are some of the pictures from my 20-week ultrasound a few weeks ago. I will need to eventually change the name of this blog and find an online name for him. :) Curious George is excited to see him because he can't wait to have a room mate. He says good morning, good night and shushes everyone when he things baby is sleeping. Curious George is already a proud big brother. The girls don't quite understand what is going on, but they do kiss my belly when we ask them to kiss baby.

The problem with the English language

2009-12-15T10:55:00.003-05:00

Curious George is playing a computer game to help him with Math skills. He can count to 10 without a problem, but up 20 it's a little shaky, especially 13 and 14. Mainly, that he pronounces them the same way. He has had this problem for a while and I remember mentioning it to Daddy, but he didn't think there's a problem. Now there is. Ha!

The 'th' sound on thirteen, and the 'f' sound on fourteen sounds too similar. The mouth shape is even the same. The only difference is the tongue placement. But how do you teach the subtlety to a 4yr old? My initial solution was teach him that the number 13 starts with a T and that he should pronounce it as such - "Tirteen". At this point my husband would look at me and tell me to ease off as he really is pronouncing it right by saying "thaaa".

Now it's really a problem. Because he pronounces them the same way, he also has a problem differentiating by recognition. Understandably, if he were given a verbal instruction to pick the number 13, he may pick either 13 or 14 if both are one of the choices.

My solution - to teach him the Filipino way of pronouncing "th", which basically means ignore the "h" and say it as a hard "t". Thirteen is now henceforth called "Tirteen". :)

Now he knows the difference by sound. It shall take practice, but problem solved. ;)

Me and my sometimes funny pronounciations can come in handy.

To Daddy, I say "TIEF" and not "THIEF"! We miss you!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Curious George in a church play

2009-12-14T22:15:00.003-05:00

Curious George was part of a church play this weekend with 2 performances, Saturday night and Sunday morning. He enjoyed it, even though he barely knew half the words on the songs. But he sang them proudly. :) It's hard to miss him, he's always the one moving.

He woke up not feeling well on Sunday, but he still wanted to go. It's obvious on his face he wasn't quite himself, if holding his arms out when he saw me was any indication. He wanted Mommy.

Oh yeah, he also had the worst case of "Elvis legs". I just made that term up, but if you watch the videos, you'll know exactly what I mean.

You will also hear the girls in the background. The first couple of videos, Thing 1 wanted to go up in the stage and was a little upset. Then she wanted me to sing along.

Day 2 - very tired and not feeling well and coughing.

2 going on 20

2009-12-12T13:25:00.001-05:00

Here is Thing 2 sporting one of my sunglasses and looking very mature.

I don't have pictures like this of Thing 1 because when she doesn't want to do something, you can't make her do anything. Trust me on that one. You wouldn't believe how many times we've already butted heads.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

they're not so little anymore

2009-12-11T22:49:00.004-05:00

Sometimes these 3 drive me and their Daddy crazy. There are moments they make us want to claw my eyes out, stick pencils in our ears and pull our hair out (OK, maybe this last part doesn't apply to Daddy), but we do love them very much. Everything we've done and not done since these little angels were born are because we put them first. We've never sacrificed anything so easily and been happier for it.

It's about time to get a picture of all 3 of them together to show how much everyone has grown, but Thing 1 was slightly anti-touchy-feely.

So here at the 2 that didn't mind the closeness.

Then it turned out, Thing 1 only minded the fact that her big brother was putting his arms around her. After I told her to stand beside Thing 2, she was fine.

Though I must say, none of them mind cuddling with each other, but sometimes they like it on their own terms.

We miss you, Daddy! I know it's only been 2 days, but we're always thinking of you. Curious George ran to the kitchen and to tell me that he heard someone make a noise that sounded like Daddy laughing. :)

Oh Christmass Tree

2009-12-11T11:25:00.004-05:00

Nana put up the Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving and the kids helped decorate it.

Curious George and Thing 2

Thing 2 was busy chatting while I snap pictures.

Notice Daddy on the phone in the kitchen. It's the weekend he was offered the Texas job.

We wanted to take a picture of the 3 kids together in front of the tree, but they all had other ideas. Sometimes I just take what I can get.

I'm growing an alien!

2009-12-10T11:07:00.006-05:00

This is me, at my current state - 22 weeks with Mr. #4

This was me in Feb 2007 at 20 weeks with the twins (#2 & #3).

What the heck is going on?!?!?!

Curious George was 9 lbs 14 oz
Thing 1 was 5 lbs 6 oz
Thing 2 was 4 lbs 8 oz
(note that the twins' weight equals 9 lbs 14 oz)

But I'm afraid that #4 will exceed 9 lbs 14 oz easily. It's all roomy there, ya know? YIKES!

Beach vidoes

2009-12-10T10:50:00.004-05:00

Here are some beach videos that went with this set of pictures .

This is at the beach house. We rented a beach house that has 2 separate units. This one is where Nana, Papaw and Cousin B stayed, which connects to our unit.

Notice Thing 1 stuffing an Oreo under her armpit. I guess it's a way to mark it as hers. Thing 2, sick with strep, cuddles with Daddy.

Daddy brought body boards for him and Curious George. But the surf wasn't that big until it stormed one day. After the storm passed, we crossed the street to the beach and enjoyed some stronger winds and bigger surf. The waves slammed Daddy on the sand a few times, but he enjoyed the successful ones.

Cousin B introduced Curious George to sand fleas, so he caught a bunch. He enjoyed them immensely. Curious George insisted we take some back with us, but we explained that it's not a pet we could keep because they need ocean water.

big changes on the way

2009-12-04T11:11:00.002-05:00

Daddy accepted a job in Texas, to start in little over than a week so it's crunch time. He will go ahead and make the drive to Texas next week without us, and return to us for Christmas. We will then all make the drive there right after Christmas.

In the meantime, we need to return most of our belongings we took with us to live with the in-laws back to our house, so that the moving company can pack them all up. I want this done before Daddy leaves next week because it won't be easy for me to do all that by myself. It's exciting, it's scary, it's worrisome, but we are all eager to start this new chapter of our lives.

In the meantime, in the midst of all changes brewing, things are still the same...at least some of it. Yesterday, I took Curious George on an errand with me. While walking around at Kohl's, we passed by the intimates section. He grabbed a bra and snuggled his face against it, "Mommy, you need to get this, so your boobies can be warm and soft and snugly!" All I could do was grin. :)

Then late in the afternoon, I asked him to try some Pringles chips. He is very picky and would only eat orange chips (Doritos), so we always encourage him to try new things. But he absolutely refused to try Pringles. I kept on pressing the issue, being the stubborn mom that I am though. Finally, he got frustrated and said, "MOMMY, IF YOU KEEP MAKING ME EAT SOMETHING I DON'T WANT, I WILL RUN AWAY FOREVER!"

I looked at him with serious face, and said, "Well, if run away, you may get left behind when it's time for us to go to Texas."

He didn't have anything to say about that. :p

The other day, it was Thing 1 that provided the amusement. I was using my laptop browsing through purses, when Thing 1 sat beside me, crinkled her nose and cocked her head and asked, "dot com, Mommy?" It will only be a matter of time before this little girl become as savvy on the computer as her big brother.

Thing 2, on the other hand stays pretty much under the radar. Even she starts trouble, we happen to mostly miss it. But what's amusing is that when we tell her to go to time-out corner, she says, "Ok, Ok, Ok." She also continues to call Thing 1 "Jojo". We remind her that she's Jojo, but she does it anyway. Oi!

Topsail Beach (8/4 - 8/7/09)

2009-11-28T14:45:00.008-05:00

A few days after our Cherokee Trip, we headed to Topsail Beach in NC. It was the first time the kids and I have ever step foot on a beach. It was a glorious experience and one that we hope to repeat again! But our trip started out on a bad foot. A few days before our departure, Thing 2 came down with a fever. We thought it may be just a garden variety fever and that we would still be able to head out, albeit a day later than planned. But on the day we were about to leave, Thing 2 stopped talking and stopped opening her mouth. I looked at her throat and it was red. Just the night before, my throat began to feel sore. For me, it was an impending strep-throat. This was the 4th time I had gotten it in 5 months. And because Thing 2's throat was red, I was pretty sure it was also strep throat. So the morning of our departure, Daddy brought Thing 2 to the hospital (the kids were still in VA medicaid at this point and could only be seen through the ER outside of VA). And I headed to the local Urgent Care. By lunch time, we headed to the beach packed with antibiotics.

This was our first evening at the beach. I coaxed the girls to get on the water, but they were scared. I worked with Thing 1 for a while, and got her to be confident of the water. But Thing 2 was not meant to be. She was not feeling well.
(Thing 2 in pink, Thing 1 in green)

Everyone enjoyed the sand!

Thing 2 looks for the perfect sand to play in.

Curious George was the most excited of all! He jumped right in on the water with Daddy.

In between playing in the water, he played in the sand and dug tons of holes looking for crabs.

We brought a canopy with us, which allowed us to stay pretty much the entire day at the beach the next day. Here is Thing 1 obsessed with sunscreen.

Poor Thing 2 conked out. Her was low grade after being on the antibiotics, but she was very tired. On our last day, she even developed scarlet fever.

On the 3rd day, a storm came. But after it had passed, we packed up the sand toys and chairs and headed back. Daddy and nephew got to enjoy the bigger surf and had fun body surfing.

Before bed one night, Daddy had the urge to to go the beach. I don't know why. But I went with him anyway. It was pitch black, windy, but very peaceful. All we could manage is blurry pictures though. The camera fogged up the moment I opened it.

It can't be a beach trip without someone getting buried! Thing 1 and I got busy burying a very giggly Curious George.

And of course, Daddy! I had to give him a sexy figure, complete with preggo belly. He is cupping his boobies here and was a little disappointed. He said he didn't mind boobs as long as they were ginormous. I thought I did give him big ones, but apparently they weren't big enough.
We just love Daddy's sense of humor!

Sexy Daddy!

Digging around with Cousin B.

Thing 1 got a beautiful tan!

Curious George outside the beach house.

Thing 1 in our room.

Incidentally, Daddy contracted H1N1 during this beach trip. He complained of sore body the last day we were there, but we thought it was normal considering he was on the water body surfing everyday we were there. But when the body ache lasted a few more days after getting home, he went to the doctor and tested positive for Type A flu. Being in the middle of summer, Type A flu was pretty much a sure thing that it was H1N1. A week after he got better, after Thing 2 recovered from strep throat, she contracted H1N1 as well. The poor, poor little angel. Both Daddy and Thing 2 didn't have high fever, but they had the severe body ache. In fact, Thing 2 couldn't even walk for a good week. We had to carry her around, she was so sore.

Also at this time, being that this was my 4th time with strep throat, I was given 2 very strong antibiotics to finally kill off this antibiotic-resistent bug. We didn't know I was pregnant. Thankfully, baby is just fine and the strep is finally gone!

(I will post beach videos next.)

Happy Thanksgiving!

2009-11-26T14:37:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I had my 20-week ultrasound. I was worried and excited...worried that something may be wrong with the baby, and excited at the same time. Well, we found out that we are having another baby boy!!! Both Daddy and I are excited that now we have 2 boys and 2 girls. Who could ask for anything better? This baby is a surprise, coming at what many would thing is a "bad time", being that Daddy has been unemployed since February. But we see this baby as a complete blessing. Being unemployed for this long is unfortunate, but with God's help, we've survived.

A long time ago, Daddy and I have told each other that there is nothing we can't handle as long as our family is together. Family is the most important thing there is. We can survive with much less, and still be happy as long as our family is taken care off. Due to a series of decisions we've made throughout our marriage, this time of unemployment could have been a lot more stressful and devastating than it really has. This is not to say that it has been easy on any of us, but we can definitely see the forest for tress. (Is that how that goes?)

Daddy has received 3 job offers recently, and 2 of them are viable. We are now just thinking of what is best for our family: Texas, or Northern Virginia. There are a few more hurdles to overcome: driving with 3 kids, moody pregnant Mommy, and a Daddy who has to deal with us all. But it's a task we would gladly undertake.

This Thanksgiving, we can't help but think of the never-ending things we are thankful for:

Daddy's parents who have welcomed us with open arm,
time the kids have spent with their grandparents
time the kids and I have spent with Daddy
being blessed with one more healthy baby boy
a smart, highly independent, strong-willed son
2 beautiful, fascinating, smart, sassy daughters
great and soulful, going on 13-yr marriage (whoah, that's long!)
all the people that love and care about us
and many many many more.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Kiddie Festival (4/18/09)

2009-11-24T21:08:00.004-05:00

Who knew I have pictures from April that I haven't posted. Back in April, there was a Kiddie Festival that we decided to bring the kids too. It's nothing big, but definitely enjoyable for the little ones.

The girls had their first encounter with mascots and surprisingly, they did just fine. They even played with them. :)

Thing 2 is showing off the pin wheel she won. Incidentally, this was the only time these dresses fit the girls.

Curious George and Thing 1. Notice the girls' hats. They were a part of their Easter Baskets.

Of course...Curious George in a fire truck and grinning like a fool.

We came home with a pet, too. This boy was beyond himself when he won a goldfish. He named it Punky. Punky is still alive and thriving today.

NC Zoo videos

2009-11-23T22:59:00.003-05:00

10/31/09

Here are videos from the zoo (the pictures are posted here). How did these kids get so big so fast? Curious George is slightly over 3 1/2 ft tall, wearing size 11.5 shoe and 6-7 yr old clothes. His sisters are about 3 ft tall, wearing size 9.5 shoes (Thing 2's feet are ever so slightly bigger) and 4T clothes.

Thing 2 is wearing pink, Thing 1 is in white.

Here are the kids loving the colorful poisonous frogs. Notice Curious George holding the Zoo map. He planned our route the entire time based on which animals he wanted to see. We didn't see the entire Zoo since it is too big.

You can see in Thing 1's face how tired she is and hungry. Curious George's excitement is still going strong here. He loves animals! He has told us many times that he wants to be a Zoologist and Entomologist...among many other things of course.

On the move again, following Curious George. They were all hesitant to walk on the floor vents.

NC Zoo (10/31/09)

2009-11-23T21:06:00.008-05:00

With Trick or Treating out of the way a few days prior, we were able to enjoy the Zoo on Halloween. The forecast was rain starting midday, but it actually started in the morning. But we went ahead with the plan to go to NC Zoo. Good thing, too. There was barely anyone around!

Fascinated by the Lions.

Thing 2 on the Carousel with Daddy. Thing 1 was with me, but the photo is too blurry to post.

Curious George chose this frog to ride on.

Thing 1 guzzling water. This was about 2pm. The girls were tired but were absolute troopers. She's wearing a necklace she won by tossing bean bags through a small hole (a fund raising for the Bats part of the Zoo).

Giant Bumble Bee!

Posing Turles.

I wonder who got scared first?

Crocodiles! They're all real!

Nana and the girls. Is Thing 2 showing her assets to her sister? I wonder.

Mommy and Thing 2.

the little camera women (8/11/09)

2009-11-21T13:44:00.003-05:00

I let Thing 1 have the camera, and this is what she captured. She kept calling "Daddy" but Daddy was at home in VA at the time.

Thing 2 had the camera this time, only to capture Thing 1's tantrum about having to give up the camera. Oh, what fun.

Trick or treat! (10/29/09)

2009-11-21T08:27:00.004-05:00

The area here is not trick or treating friendly, so we found a nice substitute. One of the local malls hosted a trick or treat even on Oct. 29th, so we dressed up everyone and went. They had a lot of fun!

Thing 2 is a princess, Thing 1 is a witch and Curious George is a pirate king. Curious George has planned out his costume months in advance, so it was only a matter of finding one he was happy about. On a side note, he has actually planned out costumes for the next 2-3 halloweens. The girls' costumes were a matter of convenience. The weekend before, we went out to the stores and happen to find these 2 at BabiesRUs at 50% off. That makes momma happy! It may not be so obvious, but they are a little small though. They are both sized 36 months. They really need 48 months, but such is the circumstance when you shop late.

Oh, I almost forgot. While shopping for swords that go with Curious George's pirate costume, he had to buy 2 extra ones for his sisters. It may be a tradition starting from Halloween of 2008, when even as fairies, Curious George had to have his sisters hold glowing swords.

We invaded the first bath of stores and the girls were busy planning on eating the candies already. Thank goodness for some candies without milk!
(Thing 1 has a hat with this costume, but she refused to wear it.)

Family picture! (Notice my already huge belly. I guess that's what happens the 3rd time around. I am only 16 weeks on this picture!)

Soccer 10/10/09

2009-11-20T22:10:00.004-05:00

I have tons of pictures and been too unorganized to post them. Some of the pictures are still on the camera, some on an external hard drive that isn't currently connected to my laptop, and some on Daddy's computer. I want to post them in order, but that just means I'm going to fall further and further behind. So without any more hoo haas, here are some of them.

This is the soccer on a rainy October day. It was fairly dry in the beginning but the rain came down hard in the middle. These little troopers of 4 and 5 year olds just kept on going without complaints.

The cheer leading team - (Thing 1 in pink, Thing 2 in white)

Big girls! Thing 2 is filling up because she eats like she's a bottomless pit, and Thing 1 is slowing down. Daddy and I now have to take a couple of seconds to tell them apart sometimes.

The little man of the hour during a pre-game drill.

The rain starts pouring, the team keeps going. Notice the thumbs up I got. :)

Being goofy! Being a defender (near the goalie) means he was told not to leave the area.

Curious George scores a goal!

random pictures

2009-10-20T08:42:00.002-04:00

As big as she has gotten (around 75th percentile for both height and weight), Thing 2 insists on putting herself in the smallest box she can find.

In the meantime, Thing 1 has perfected this "What the heck is wrong with you?" look.

This is Curious George's Lego collection. He has progressed "helping" daddy put them together, to putting some parts of it himself, to completely assembling them. Lately, he has taken them apart and make his very own designs. He has since bought a few more small once since this picture was taken. He is asking for big expensive ones for Christmas.

a trail of marshmallows

2009-09-26T19:15:00.004-04:00

Curious George is in our room doing some coloring activities and does not want to be disturbed. His sister, Thing 1, wants to be with him. I call Thing 1 out of the room, but she wants to stay. Curious George said, "Mommy, put marshmallow down and let her eat them on the floor and then shut the door when she gets outside." I glared at him, "your sister is not an animal!" Curious George looked up at me and laughed.

Devious.

EDIT: I think this whole idea of leaving food around started a year ago here.

Upward Soccer

2009-09-12T12:31:00.002-04:00

Curious George is back in soccer again. This time through Upward (upward.org), which is a christian sports program through the local church. The uniforms are much nicer than in the YMCA, and seems to be more organized.

Bright and early at 8:30 today, we were on a mad rush to get out of the house. In Curious George's group are 4 and 5 year olds. They practice for 30 minutes and play for the next 30 minutes. For the first time, Curious George learned about the different positions. He was a left full back on the first game and was told that he and another boy must stay around the goalie to help. He took the coach's instruction to heart and only kicked the ball when it came to him. :-) The coach told him a few times that he could move a little bit. On the next game, he got to be the center forward.

Pre-game drills.

Playing in the front.

The team tries to score!

Cheerleader Thing 1 refuses the camera.

Cheerleader Thing 2 adores the camera!

Thing 1 finally warmed up. :)

It must be said that I'm not the kind of mom who watches quietly. If you go to any game, you'll see and hear me yelling, "Go Matthew! Get the ball! Go go go! Good job!!" The kids need to be cheered and given positive phrase! Besides, at this age, kids are only as enthusiastic as their parents. :-)

It's too early yet, but I can say with certainty that I won't be a parent who will argue will referees.

hubby's family reunion

2009-09-07T15:34:00.003-04:00

My mother-in-law's family has an annual reunion near Cherokee, NC. This is the first time we've made it.

The kids and I bring 'color' to this family. :)

We enjoyed seeing some of the family members again, and some for the first time, though we were told that there were a lot of family members who didn't make it this year.

I anticipated that there may not be a lot for the kids to do, so Daddy and I packed the DVD player and blankets. Good thing too. It provided the kids with some rest and probably averted some meltdowns.

Curious George was pretty good. Though it helps that one of his cousins came with us.

By late afternoon, the twins had it. Thankfully, we found a recliner that happened to be in the kitchen. A few furious rocks adn the girls fell asleep. This show was after Thing 2 had already woken up and gone to find her Daddy.

update on the 3 silly ducklings

2009-09-04T23:38:00.002-04:00

Curious George:

He is going to pre-k 3 days a week in preparation for kindergarten. His mood continues to be dependent on the amount of sleep he gets. He is a Lego fiend at the moment asking for small Legos whenever we go to the store. For a period of 2 weeks, he kept a Lego catalog close to him at all times "reading" it whenever he finds a second and plans his future with it. "I want this for Christmas, and this one for my birthday, and the next Christmas..."

He continually amazes as with he says everyday. For instance, during past conversations I've told him that when we look for a new house it may have to be a house without stairs because Mommy's knees hurt. Then several days later, he told me out of the blue that it should be OK to have small stairs and that he, his sisters and Daddy would sleep upstairs and I stay downstairs so that I don't have to hurt my knees using the stairs.

Yesterday, Daddy and I attended a 5-week hr-long parenting class. Daddy and I were quite excited about what we learned and having an animated discussion about it. Curious George thought we were fighting and told us to stop. I explained that we weren't fighting, but instead discussing what we learned in class. He asked what we learned, so I told him it was all about what we could do so that we are not always yelling and getting mad at him. His response was, "I'VE BEEN WAITING FOR THAT ALL MY LIFE!!" Daddy and I burst out laughing.

THING 1:

Thing 1 is a sassy little thing who seems to be always at odds with me. Daddy says she's just like me...stubborn. I've said a few times that Thing 1 is Daddy's girl, but she does come to me when she's sick. ;p She is a rough and tumble girl, it seems. During a period of a couple of weeks when Thing 2 was sick, Thing 1 and Curious George played a lot with each other. Curious George throws his weight around and surprisingly, Thing 1 kept up with him. Even now, she and Curious George wrestles with each other. Thing 1 sometimes protests but usually all smiles and giggles.

Thing 1 has also developed a love for her big brother's shirt. She demands that whatever shirt she is wearing be taken off and then she grabs whatever shirt she could find of Curious George's. Sometimes she grabs a PJ he takes off as soon as he takes them off.

Her language explosion was a few weeks behind Thing 2's but they are both very good talkers. She loves to watch Dora The Explorer and Diego and eagerly responds when asked to join on their adventures.

We have noticed several months back that Thing 1 seems to favor left-handedness but it was too early to be sure then. Nowadays, it is becoming more obvious that she is left-handed. All of us have noticed a few instances where she tries to do something with her right hand only to find it very awkward so she just switches hands immediately.

Thing 2:

Thing 2 continues to be a few pounds behind Thing 1. She has been sick a lot this past month, battling strep throat for a few weeks. But after only being well for 1 week, she contracted the flu. It was a mild flu, but the body soreness she experienced for a few days was unmistakable. The illnesses caused her to lose about 5 lbs.

She talks very clearly and can tell on both her sister and big brother. She loves cuddles and would rather be on our lap when the other 2 are rough-housing.

She hates buildings that look like a doctor's office. We went to the Department of Social Services one day and she let go of my hand and headed for the parking lot as soon as she could see in after I opened the door. Thank goodness she didn't take off on a run!

She loves to ask for things using a very small cute voice. "Mom, can I have milk?", she asks in the morning. Recently, she's also mastered the art of begging. She asks for something and when I don't move fast enough, she holds her hands together and puts them under her chin, closing her eyes, and says "pease, pease! [please]"

She loves peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! If I can't think of anything to feed her, I could never go wrong with PBJ. She also loves any kind of cereal, much to her brother's annoyance. Curious George absolutely hates any kind of cereal and would run the opposite way from it.

Thing 2 loves to pretend to read. She grabs paper with print on it and "reads" proudly, "A, F, I, B!"

Christmas in July

2009-08-31T13:38:00.005-04:00

These are the photos from Santa's Land in Cherokee, NC. It's Christmas in July! The girls loved everything. Curious George loved everything..especially the part where he got to tell Santa that he wanted Lego for Christmas.

Thing 1 is wearing green and Thing 2 is wearing blue.

the bears' den at Cherokee

2009-08-30T16:21:00.004-04:00

This is a backtrack to the end of July on our trip to Cherokee, NC. It's an Indian reservation that is thriving and very busy during the summer months due to tourism. We found a "zoo" of bears and brought the kids there. It's not much of a zoo, but when we're talking about 4 and 2 year olds, it's just a perfect size. :)

The bears were doing tricks for food and the girls loved them!

Curious George's puncanny imitation of the bear in the entrance.

One of the bear poses for food.

Thing 1 (pink) and Thing 2 (green) love the bears!

There is an iguana cage that is covered with chicken wire. Unfortunately, little fingers still fit through. Thankfully, with Mommy and Daddy's super sonic speed, we were able to keep the iguana from having a finger lunch. Thing 1 wasn't too happy about being told "NO" of course.

A baby goat was walking around saying hi to the visitors. Thing 2 said, "How cute!"

Thing 2, Curious George and I pose for one more picture before heading out.

what does one do when you don't want to take a nap?

2009-08-30T16:02:00.002-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, I drove Thing 1 to VA because she came down with a fever. Normally, I wouldn't get concerned but since Thing 2 and I were recovering from strep throat, and Daddy had just gone to the doctor and had a confirmed flu (thankfully not the swine flu), it wasn't looking too good her. We made the drive for an appointment the next day. Now why would we have to drive all the way back to VA just to see a doctor? Well, there's Medicaid for you. The children are not covered out of state unless it's an emergency.

On the way back to NC, Thing 1 refused to sleep even if she was obviously delirious with sleepiness. This is what I caught with my phone. It's hard to hear because of the wind noise and the radio, but she was singing along at times and arguing with me.

the Great Smoky Mountains and family

2009-07-28T13:35:00.005-04:00

We spent the weekend in the Great Smoky Mountains to attend my mother-in-law's family reunion. While there we explored the Cherokee Indian Reservation, which was busy with tourists. We stayed at the motel my MIL's father built. It is now on the 3rd owner after her father. It was my first time there, though I had seen it before. It was the kids' first time. Though the motel brought back a lot of fond memories for Daddy, he said it didn't hold the magic he remembered it having as a child. I think the big part of that magic is his grandparents. Grandparents are special like that. But I think it holds a different kind of magic, though - the kids and I being able to share part of Daddy's childhood.

Front of the motel.

Twin River's Lodge (originally known as Ela Motor Court)

Nana chasing after Thing 1.

Curious George went fishing in the back with his Papaw and cousin. This is one of the fish he caught.

Papaw helps Curious George.

The river in the back of the back of the motel.

Thing 1 (pink) and Thing 2 (green) enjoying the open space. They bust into 'Ring Around the Rosie' when Daddy pulled out the camera.

Thing 2 (laying down) and Thing 1 enjoying the kiddie pool.

Enjoying the big pool.
(Thing 2 in blue, Thing 1 in pink.)

fun in the sun with daddy

2009-07-22T15:20:00.002-04:00

Curious George found a firefly in the pool. He now knows more about the great outdoors than I do.

Having fun with Daddy.

Daddy embracing his inner child. We love that. We truly do!

potty training twins. how crazy is that?!

2009-07-22T14:29:00.006-04:00

Thing 2 on the left, Thing 1 on the right.

My girls will probably never forgive me when they discover that there are pictures on the internet of them sitting on the potty. Oh well. I say it's my right as a mother. You girls will have your turn when you have kids of your own.

These were taken in the middle of June when the potty training journey began. They hated sitting on it! Then I gave them 1 Mike&Ike and they didn't mind anymore. We had success the first time when we took them out and they stayed dry for 4 hours. I took the opportunity to sit them down and had a great success, but not before they shed some tears. Then it was good for a few days and then they absolutely hated it. So the training tapered off. Then stomach bug hit, and it was forgotten. We really need to "get back at it" but it's tiring! *whine* One of these days, we will. Eventually. Probably. You don't see teens walking around in diapers, do you?

big kids

2009-07-22T14:11:00.003-04:00

(Thing 1 on the left, Thing 2 on the right)

I forgot to post this one as part of the previous set. It shows how big the girls have gotten! They can definitely take Curious George on nowadays. In fact, they sometimes reduce him to tears...being in the prime of their terrible-twos and all. There is nothing like an out-of-nowhere-bang-on-the-head with a glass spice container by one of his sisters.

off to the doctor

2009-07-14T23:56:00.003-04:00

Thing 1 had a bout of vomiting for 3 hours straight at 3am last Sunday. Towards the end of the 3 hours, she had diarrhea. The diarrhea is just now ending, after 10 days. She vomited once a day, at about midnight when I just barely get to bed. About 2 days later, Thing 2 also had diarrhea. Let me tell you, it was nasty and stinky x2! But neither of them acted sick during the day however, so we weren't worried. But we did finally decide to take them to the doctor on Monday. Thing 2 was also due for her 2-yr well baby check. Of course the doctor is in VA, and we're here in NC. I wasn't brave enough to drive both of them by myself, so Daddy came with us.

The doctor was not concerned about the diarrhea since they are not acting sick and there is no sign of dehydration. He did however suggested we give them Tums because it was probably reflux that was causing the vomiting. As far as the diarrhea, it was going to take its course and just keep with with the fluid and food that are easy on the stomach.

Thing 2 has shot up on her growth. She weighed 31.4 lbs which is now at the 95th percentile and her height is in the 75th (I will insert height later). We aren't surprise because she out-eats Thing 1 and Curious George combined. We just don't know where she puts it because if you go by sight, you would think Thing 1 is a lot bigger (5 lbs at least) when in actuality, they are only less than 1 lb difference (Thing 1 is heavier).

frog ressurection?

2009-07-14T23:45:00.003-04:00

Two days ago, Curious George caught a baby frog. It was very small. He placed it in a spare tank we had. The problem is, we didn't know what to feed it since it was so small. This morning I told him that it was time to set it free because it was getting hungry, but before he does so, he could it play with it. Played with it, he did. After 15-20 minutes, Daddy told me that the frog is dead and that from what he could tell Curious George probably accidentally squeezed it.

I was worried that Curious George would get upset so I told him that it was dead and we needed to bury it. He then looked at me and said, "yeah! In 2 days, it was be alive again!"

"No, Matty. When an animal dies, it doesn't become alive again. It's dead forever, " I explained.

"No, Mommy. When God died, people buried him in a cave and two days after, God was alive again!"

If this is not proof that this boy pays attention in Sunday School, I don't know what is.

Oh, the memories we're making.

2009-07-09T21:21:00.003-04:00

It's hard to believe that we've been living here with Daddy's parents for four months. Four months is a long time, but at the same time we're left to wonder where the time has gone. It's been tough for all of us, but it is also hard not to count our blessings. The kids are enjoying their grandparents and there are a lot of lasting memories being made here everyday. The girls are too young to remember, but Curious George will probably remember some of the excitement. He will probably one day come to me and his Daddy telling us of his dream/memory of living with his Nana and Papaw and about catching frogs. We will tell him that no, it is in fact a memory...and we have this blog to prove it.

Curious George is sweaty after running around in the yard in this hot humid day. We catch a lot of fireflies here (an almost every night ritual).

Curious George shows his sisters the pint size wheel barrow, one he got for being well behaved after spending 5 hours with the grown ups at Home Depot and Lowes).

And teaches them how to use it.

Thing 2 comes up the hill after following Curious George. Thing 1 (wearing Curious George's Speed Racer shirt) doesn't follow too far down (she's too tired from vomiting for 3 hours the night before).

The kids help Daddy unload Papaw's truck.

It's all about team work.

Happy 4th!

2009-07-06T21:44:00.004-04:00

We found a fireworks that also has a kid festival so we took the kids there. The fireworks started at 9:45. It's late, but we knew they would enjoy it...and they did. Thing 1 screamed the entire time, we thought she'd lose her voice. In between the screams, she yelled, "again!"

Of course, being in a kid festival, the kids won't let you leave without getting them something. The swords were a big hit with all 3. The funny thing is, Daddy bought 1 sword for Curious George and 2 girly little light things for the girls. But the girls threw the girly things down on the ground and grabbed for the sword. So I made Daddy return them for swords.

Thing 2 snuggled into my lap to watch at the beginning of the evening.

We arrived at the kid festival at 8:15pm and the fireworks wasn't until 9:45pm. I lost count how many times Curious George asked, "how many minutes more?"

Unfortunately that evening at 3am, Thing 1 woke vomiting. She vomited every 20 minutes until 6am when she was finally able to rest. She got a stomach bug somewhere, and we're hoping it doesn't spread through the household.

stringing 3 words together?

2009-06-23T23:09:00.001-04:00

I think I read somewhere that at 24 months, most babies are stringing 2 words together, and some even doing 3. Tonight while I was getting the girls ready for bed, I couldn't locate Thing 1's PJ shirt. I asked them both to help me look. Thing 2 puts her hands on her cheeks and said, "Oh no!" Seconds later she found the shirt. "There it is! Here you go Mayee [Mommy]!" she told me. Stringing 3 words? Phooeee. We go straight to 7. I'm just sayin'.

the pool is now open!

2009-06-23T09:21:00.008-04:00

Nana's pool has been open for a couple of weeks and this is the girls' second time. With their swim vest and the ring, they have been quite comfortable floating around by themselves. Though it takes them time to warm up to that point. Before then, they grab onto Daddy or me for their dear lives.

Thing 2 is using the pink floaty and Thing 1 is on the green

After warming up to the pool, Thing 2 is quite comfortable to wander on by herself. She also is comfortable enough to swim to Daddy when she's sick of me.

The girls hitch a ride on the Mommy Tug Boat.

Thing 2 lodges a complaint when Curious George uses her leg as a floating noodle.

Thing 1 is especially clingy in the pool and screams when she is not allowed to grab onto my bathing suit or Daddy shirt. But when she gets comfortable, she is happy to grab some of the floating bugs.

Curious George and Cousin C have fun in the pool. With Curious George's swim vest, he requires very little supervision on the pool.

As is common with Curious George, he attaches himself like a leach to the nearest relative. Although it should be noted that he has equally attached himself to a boy at Nana's church. This boy (about 12 years old) should dare not disappear without letting Curious George know or his inner volcano will erupt without warning.

a major milestone for Curious George

2009-06-22T09:37:00.003-04:00

Curious George's current favorite book is his cousin's Lego catalog. He brings it with him everywhere and 'reads' it and plans his future with it. It is falling apart and some pages are no longer attached, so sometimes we all must hunt for the missing pages. He points to the Legos and says he wants this for Christmas, and that for next Christmas and that one for the Christmas after and this one for when Daddy gets a new job. We tell him they are expensive and the mini Legos for about $5 he says he can get because he has money in his money bag (a coin purse I gave him). Some of them are hard to find so when I saw one of the ones he wanted, I bought it for him. He built it himself immediately! He has many other Lego but his has always asked for helped from his Daddy. But this time, he only asked for help a couple of times - once because he couldn't manage to get something attached, and the other because he got ahead of himself and skipped a step while looking at the direction.

This is a 64-piece mini off-roader Lego that could be built into 2 more other things. In fact, he has already broken this one and made something else.

oh the faces she makes

2009-06-20T23:21:00.003-04:00

This is Thing 1 while we're eating at the mall while at home in VA. She made the exact same face that Thing 2 usually makes. She was just drinking her juice and made the silly face. I'd like to know what she's thinking about though.

Big feet

2009-06-18T23:27:00.001-04:00

Thing 1 and I are back at home in VA for her 2-yr old well baby check. She weighs in at 32.2 lbs and 34 3/4 inches tall. She is on the 75th percentile which is awesome! I can remember when she was barely at 30th percentile.

I took her to Stride Rite after since both her and Thing 2's shoes are getting harder to put on. Her current shoes is size 6 1/2. Today her feet measured in at 8 1/2! We are torturing her by stuffing her feet in shoes that are 2 whole sizes too small!

This is a cute one. And thankfully for me it comes in pink for Thing 2. The time will come when they will pick their own clothing style and shoes (in fact they are starting to do that now) but for now it'll drive me crazy for them not to have matching things.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

twin playtime

2009-06-17T09:25:00.003-04:00

The girls enjoy playing ring around the rosey ever since I taught it to them. They don't know the words, but as soon as anyone sings it, they hold hands and start going in a circle. Thing is though, Thing 1 doesn't want to fall!!

You can hear Daddy in the background giving a very concise description of our lives. :)

Here is Thing 2 lounging in her chair surrounded by books. She loves to look at the books and pretend to identify the letters. Sometimes she points at everything and says, "effffff!"

Here is Thing 1 showing us the proper way to lounge.

critters aplenty

2009-06-16T23:28:00.002-04:00

In May, we took the kids to a kiddie festival where Curious George got his first pet, a goldfish. He was so excited, especially since he has been asking for a pet of his own. So we came home with Punky (I have no how CG came up with this name but it's very fitting since Punky has a black streak on top near his head and looks like a punk). Before we even got home, we had a fish tank kit and some accessories.

Here is Punky now thriving in his ever cloudy water.

Punky has been a part of the family, he even plays with Curious George. But he isn't quite playful on this video though. We figured he was hungry.

Then, Curious George got into frogs. He found one in the backyard and nearly gave me a heart attack when he showed it to me. Thankfully, we've been able to convince the boy to let it go at the end of the day. But then one day, while CG and I were out of town, Daddy found a Grey tree frog. As a surprise for CG, Daddy and Nana bought a tank and a supply of crickets to feed it. Curious George was so excited! He named the tree frog, Cricket. He has found many frogs after Cricket, but we've only kept Cricket so far as the others seem to be very common.

Tonight, while catching fireflies (we've been catching fireflies most nights for a few weeks!) Curious George found a Grey tree frog on his own. Daddy caught the little critter and placed it with Cricket. Now Cricket has a friend, Grasshopper. CG came up with this name, but kept forgetting it. So while in bed, too excited to sleep, Grasshopper's name was changed to Hopper.

Here is Hopper after he was placed with Cricket. Daddy gave him a cricket to eat but he was too afraid. Cricket ate it instead. Cricket hunting for his crickets have been a source of amusement for all of us. (Of course I can say this since they're inside a cage where they can't jump on me!!)

Oh, I almost forgot about the lizzard Daddy caught. Curious George was playing with it while it was in a container and it bit him. I don't think he was too enthused about it after that. Yay for me!

doing the slide

2009-06-12T20:40:00.002-04:00

Thing 2 is wearing green, Thing 1 is wearing pink.
They have been in a slide before but this is the first time they've been truly into it. They slid down what seemed like 50+ times!

Curious George decides to join in on the "little" fun.

Thing 1 takes the short cut and goes up the slide.

The day before, Curious George and his cousins went to a fishing derby with their Nana and Papaw. Curious George caught 4 fish by himself, which got him very excited. The next day, we we went again and this time with the girls. The girls enjoyed the playground. They went up and down this little slide so much they were dripping sweat when it was time to leave.

who's who?

2009-06-06T09:54:00.003-04:00

While Thing 2 was on the nebulizer this morning, Thing 1 kept herself occupied by trying to get my BlackBerry that was attached to my pant waist. She tugged and pulled and turned, but wasn't able to get it. Then she noticed her reflection on the little camera picture window. She pointed at it and said, "Dodo!"

"That's not Jojo. That's Katie!" I corrected her.

She looked at me with annoyed face and pointed to Thing 2 on the nebulizer and shouted, "No! That's Dodo!"

Alrighty then. Even when I agree with her she finds a way to get angry with me. I'd hate to see what the teen years would be like.

It's a Party!

2009-06-04T00:02:00.007-04:00

The girls are going to be two years old on the 4th, but we had to have their party today since Daddy is leaving tomorrow for a job interview. They woke up with runny noses but they still enjoyed the presents. :)

For the cake, it was Duncan Hines all the way. Would you believe both the cake and the icing are milk-free!!! Daddy had a hand in decorating them. :)

The birthday tiara design is courtesy of Curious George and I. It says, "Katelyn is Two" and "Jordan is Two". (Thing 1 on the left, Thing 2 on the right)

Thing 1 gobbled up her cake without using any utensils. Thing 2 wasn't in the mood for cake.

The bikes are courtesy of the Grandma's gift money. Nana & Papaw got them a folding foam/bed chair, clothes and coloring books. (Thing 1 on the left, Thing 2 on the right)

Being the good big brother that he is, Curious George helped Thing 1 open presents. She didn't quite know what to do with the wrapper.

In the middle of the party, Curious George his care package from his Grandma. He requested dried mango a couple of weeks back. He was grinning like a fool!

The girls in their birthday dress. I didn't put them on since I was anticipating messy clothes smeared by cake like last year. Backless! Gotta love it.
(Thing 2 standing, Thing 1 sitting)

Thing 1 eats some Chex cereal for an afternoon snack.

singing in the rain

2009-05-23T12:44:00.001-04:00

Daddy and I are busy cleaning up, packing up, loading up, etc and this boy is busy having fun with the sprinkler.

Ah, to be four again.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Frogs, frogs, frogs everywhere

2009-05-21T10:18:00.002-04:00

You would not believe the self-restraint I am practicing just to take a picture of this ginormous hibby-jibbies, more commonly known as a frog. Being here at the in-laws has been nothing but pure excitement to a 4-year old. He has caught frogs, bugs, and things I do not even want to know about. I am teriffied of these things, but I am trying not to show it (though I know I am failing miserably at it). Thankfully, for my sake and the good of the creatures, we've been able to convince Curious George to let them go before bedtime.

While Curious George and I were at home in VA, Daddy found a special tree frog that has the ability to change color. He and Nana bought a terrarium, and food for it (it eats crickets! So they bought a whole village of crickets to raise and feed to the frogs - which by the way, are small enough to escape the little container/cage they came in so we've been finding them here and there much to my dismay).

And just now while I am busy keeping the kids busy outside while Daddy is having a phone interview, a big frog happen to jump where they were playing. This one left merrily on his way thankfully. The dogs are outside so I convinced (yay me!) Curious George to quietly let it go before the dogs get to it.

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Playtime

2009-05-21T09:53:00.001-04:00

Daddy is currently having a phone interview with a company in Michigan so I took the kids outside to play. These kids currently have no volume control (do they ever?) and I know Daddy would appreciate the momentary peace.

The kids are having a tea party with bubbles in background.

(Thing 1 in purple, Thing 2 in pink)

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getting ready to roll

2009-05-17T00:26:00.002-04:00

I met with a realtor today (finally) to get the house listed soon. He did his marketing spiel and then we toured the house. Of course he suggested we get rid of the yellow in the entry way. It's a yellow that took time to grow on me, anyway. In fact, it hasn't fully grown on me. He also suggested that we get rid of a lot of furnitures (yay, more work! NOT). I'm not looking forward to that. He also suggested a list price that isn't too flattering, but such is the housing market. The suggested listing price is the same as what we bought it for in 2005, which I guess is not too terrible. But this means we will lose money for the realtor comission and closing cost. Thinking back, I wish we'd used the money to pay off school loans instead of putting it in the house.

Curious George was excellent today. I asked him to either watch TV or play by himself, and he did. I heard a few banging noises somewhere in the house, but nothing is broken, burning or missing, so it's all good. Take note that he didn't have a nap today, so he really has been exceptionally behaved today. And as a reward, I let him get 3 things at the Dollar store. It was getting late, and so I reminded him that he could only play with his toys for a little bit and then it was bedtime. But in the car, I just had to Tweet (yes, I'm a Twitter-holic), which did not make him happy. "Mom, you are waisting your time for me to play!" he scolded.

I almost forgot, this morning out of nowhere he said he wanted dried mangos from his Grandma. He must have been hungry. So we called her. "You know, Grandma, I want dried mangoes now!" Grandma replied, "Ok, I will get some now." Several hours later he comes up to me and asked about the mangoes because Grandma said she would get them "now". I had to explain that It would take days sine she would have to mail the mangoes to us.

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"Pinopino"

2009-05-15T21:31:00.002-04:00

Curious George and I are at home in VA this weekend for his allergy appointment on Monday. This evening in the car, after our trip to Wal-mart to use our WIC checks, we had a conversation about being a Filipino.

CG: Are there volcanoes in your island?

Me: There are but I have never seen them.

CG: But Daddy said you did.

Me: I've never seen a volcano, Matty.

CG: Are you a Pinopino?

Me: Yes, I'm a Filipino. And so are you and your sisters.

CG: And Daddy, too.

Me: No, not Daddy. Only us.

CG: I'm NOT pinopino!

Me: Yes, you are! Your Mommy is Filipino so that makes you and sisters Filipinos too.

CG: I'm not pinopino. My Dad is not, so I'm NOT!

Oh the interesting conversations we have sometimes.

there is always something to be thankful for

2009-05-13T01:01:00.003-04:00

After putting the girls to bed, we escaped to dinner out by ourselves. We left Curious George with Nana.

Daddy still doesn't have a job and so life is still a little hard. Our savings is dwindling, we are living in his parents' basement and we still haven't put our house in the market. Sometimes there is nothing else we can control other than our perception of things. So today, it shall be Thankful Tuesday (though technically, it is now Wednesday according to my watch).

Some things I am thankful for:

-the kids are trashing Nana's place instead of my house
-only my left knee bothers me now
-great in-laws (I'm sure I am the envy of many!)
-awesome mother's day present from hubby (he let me talk his ears off for a good 2 hrs!)

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Curious George's Mother's Day Daisies

2009-05-11T15:19:00.001-04:00

He picked these out from Nana's garden to give to me because he said he loves me.

going a hundred miles an hour (mind and body)

2009-05-11T15:14:00.002-04:00

Curious George has been on the go, go, go. Daddy and I insist that he takes a nap because he becomes a holy terror without it, but it is getting harder and harder to get him to sleep. He doesn't fall asleep until 2:30 even if he goes down at 1pm in a dark room with nothing to do. So Daddy suggested we let him nap for only 45 minutes. Hopefully that is enough of a nap to prevent Mr. Hyde from making an appearance.

On an amusing note, he continues to make life revelation late at night just before falling asleep. The other night he talkedf to me about dying and how he doesn't want me or Daddy to die. And then he asked, "how do people die?" I told him that some people get sick, and others get too old and of course that again lead to the discussion of death. "I don't't want you to become an angel! I want you to stay normal!"

twin separation

2009-05-10T22:38:00.000-04:00

About 2 weeks ago, I decided to take Thing 2 with me (mainly to ease Daddy's trouble taking care of 3 little ones). I had to go see the sports medicine specialist. I would be gone 3 days so Daddy and I had to think hard. In the end we decided that it would be an overall positive experience for all. It would allow me one-on-one time with Thing 2 and Curious George could get to know Thing 1 and a relative alone time with Daddy.

Thing 2 did very well on the drive. It had been a month since she had been home but she recognized the house. She inspected her old toys still left in the house and looked around. Though I couldn't leave her in the livingroom to even unload the car. She didn't want to be left alone. For the duration of the stay, she was this way. I had to set up a timer for lawn sprinkler and had to go back and forth to the house to fetch tools. Then I had to walk all over the yard to move and re-move the sprinkler head in search of the perfect spot. The entire time I had to walk from one spot to the next with Thing 2 in hand (it was slow going!).

The most amazing thing though, was the language development that happened. Thing 2 started using real words instead of twin talk. She learned new words and instantly used them correctly. We enjoyed each other a whole lot! I gave in to the fact that I wasn't going to be able to do anything in the house and enjoyed every minute of Thing 2's company. It was awesome! By the time we returned to join the rest of the family, Thing 2 was all about me.

In the meantime, Daddy reported to me that Thing 1 attached herself to Curious George like a leach. They definitely bonded. But just like Thing 2, Thing 1 hated being left alone in a room. Nana also reported Thing 1 calling out "where?" presumably looking for her sister.

The reunion was surprisingly a non-event. They looked at each other and that was it. They went back to the way things were as if they never got separated.

The whole event was positive. I can't wait to be alone now with Thing 1. It made me think of having a 1-on-1 with everyone, not just with me but with Daddy too. When Daddy finds a job and we settle in wherever we end up, I would like each child to have alone time (for a whole day or 2) with a parent 2X a year on rotation. I can't wait!

Easter Egg Hunt

2009-04-23T00:00:00.006-04:00

The kids were able to participate in 2 Easter Egg hunts; at their grandparents' church and at Curious George's new school.

Thing 2 finds eggs with the help of a lovely young lady.

Thing 1 drops one of her egg while picking up another! Thankfully the boy handed it back to her.

Curious George was Mr. Speedy Gonzalez and was zipping through the grass gathering eggs.

Thing 1 looks for some more.

Time to count the eggs!

Thing 1 realizes that the eggs open and inspects what's inside. Nothing!?

Curious George wins a blue bunny rabbit for coming in 2nd for the most eggs. Notice his 'boy' construction basket.

Note Curious George's very very short hair. He was using a pair of child's scissors cutting up paper by himself when he calls out to me. "Mommy, I cut my hair!" I see him holding a few strands of hair and thought, phew. That's nothing. I wander through the dining room where he was doing his cutting and notice tons of hair on the floor. Oh my! I check to see his head and right on the top is an almost bald spot! Daddy 'tries' to fix it without a razor and let's just say that after 10 minutes, he had to rush to Walmart and get a clipper.

This is Thing 2 hunting for eggs at Curious George's new school.

Thing 1 hunts for eggs with Mommy while Curious George hunts by himself!

After being off school for a month, Curious George had too much energy and not much to do. While here at their Nana's and Papaw's house, Daddy and I have decided he needed to get back to school. We found a great pre-school by a local Baptist church that Curious George now attends 3 days a week for 3 1/2 hours. It's very different from his old school, but at least he is learning and having social time with new friends.

getting adjusted is a slow process

2009-04-18T21:18:00.001-04:00

We have now been living with the hubby's parents for exactly a month tomorrow. I've gone back and forth several times to do some cleaning in our house, Curious George has been back once and Daddy and the girls have not been back at all.

The girls, being young, took only a several days to adjust. I think bringing their cribs helped a whole lot. Though they have been moody while I'm gone. I think that at their age as long as Mommy and Daddy are there, they do fine.

Curious George is a different matter altogether. The first week, he was overtired and over stimulated all the time and he was moody because of it. We've kept up with his nap but he still couldn't get adjusted. Finally after a week, it seems we've found the balance of rest and stimulation only to find out a couple of days later that it wasn't the case. He is always 'engaged'.

Last week he started part-time preschool (MWF half days). It gets him back to organized activity but so far it hasn't settled him down. Last week I had to take him back home to attend one of his best friend's party and while home the change in him was instant. He viewed it as a down-time immediately. He played, watched movies and ran errands with me and rested.

He is still tired and now having trouble napping. He is clearly tired at times but still unable to sleep. Because of this, he has been more than a handful since we've been here. Daddy and I don't normally see him this difficult at home unless he hasn't had enough sleep for several days in a row. And I am afraid people are beginning to think he is always a difficult child. He definitely keeps Daddy and I on our toes and keeps us engaged, but he is not this difficult all thr time. He is pretty happy being with his grandparents and able to interact with cousins, he just can't fully rest. His mind is constantly going one hundred miles an hour.

Daddy is still having difficulty finding a job. I am starting to worry how Curious George would fair here and whenever and wherever it is we would be when Daddy finds a new job.

Curious George's Birthday Party

2009-04-15T14:30:00.003-04:00

We need to backtrack a little bit so that I can post pictures and videos from the Curious George's momentous 4th birthday party on March 14th.

Firetruck birthday cake

Eating pizza and chips with friends.

Thing 1 eating her lunch with Nana. Unfortunately, there was nothing she and Thing 2 could eat at the party except chips. Everything else had milk.

Papaw assisting Thing 2 with her lunch.

The party started out with 1 hour 15 minutes of play. And here is a very memorable video of Curious George getting ganged up by 3 girls. I bet he enjoyed it.

After play, it was cake time!

Thing 2's first trip to the ER

2009-03-25T23:25:00.005-04:00

I had just gotten back to NC after being back home in VA to do some cleaning up in the house to get it prepped to sell while leaving the kids with Daddy to look after. We're all exhausted and hoping for an uneventful evening. The following are the events as they unfolded.

I was changing Thing 1's diaper and putting her in her pajama while Thing 2 was walking around; Daddy and I were chatting the entire time. Suddenly, Thing 2 approaches Daddy crying with a very small toy in her hand. She coughs and points to her mouth. Instantly, I yelled at Daddy to check her mouth because she is choking. Daddy puts a finger (a pointer finger! I yell at him to use his pinky) in Thing 2's mouth and Thing 2 cries harder. She spits up. By this time, I left Thing 1 diaper-less to rush to Thing 2. I put her on my lap while she cries harder. I am panicked at this time so I shove my pinky down her throat and do a sweep. Thing 2 spits up blood. I continue my sweep down her throat and she cries and turns blue. I sweep with my finger and thought I touched something. I can't get it because she bites me. Daddy then hands me a small toy to put in Thing 2's mouth so as to prevent her from biting me. I yell at Daddy for coming up with a dumb idea. Thing 2 continues to cry but I can't do anything more so I hush her and calm her down and yell at Daddy to call someone.

After a few minutes, Thing 2 calms down. I call our pediatrician back home and spoke with the doctor on call. I described everything that unfolded and she suggests to take Thing 2 to the hospital just to make sure that the toy didn't get in her lungs. So we drive to the hospital and after a total of 2 hours (which isn't bad in terms of ER wait time goes) and xrays, we find out there's nothing lodged in her throat and there is nothing in her tummy. PHEW! But wait, what was all that?? As far as we can figure, the gagging happened after Daddy shoved a big fat finger down her throat. And the spitting the blood by the time I took over was probably due to Daddy's finger nail. Turning blue was probably due to all the shoving of finger we were doing.

Late last night when all are quiet, Daddy and I agreed on a few things: 1-we absolutely do not mind having gone to the ER to be safe rather than sorry. We would spend our life savings to keep our kids safe, though thankfully, our COBRA coverage has already kicked in so we didn't have to and 2-Daddy spazzed out (and he freely admits it) big time!! I am not the only one, ha! But having risen to this occassion, I realize that my trigger is the sight of blood.

Chit-Chatty Thing 2

2009-03-18T22:59:00.003-04:00

There has been a lot going on this past few days, with Curious George's party on Saturday and with us finally moving to their Nana's and Papaw's place on Tuesday. Life is very busy and there are a lot of photos/videos to share but just don't have time to do that.

But there is something I'd like to share with Miss Thing 2. She has been chatty this past few weeks. For the past couple of months, she loves to pretend to talk complete with gestures and facial expressions but of course, none of us understand her. In the past few weeks, she's been repeating words, use them regularly and pronounce them clearly. She started with the word "water", "apple", and others I can't seem to recall this very minute.

Yesterday, when I caught her doing something she shouldn't, I told her to stop. She didn't listen. I called her again and then she turned to me and said, "What?" I had to ask Daddy if I heard her correctly. I did. Then when she bumped her head one time, I went to her and asked if she had an owwie and if I needed to kiss it. She rubbed her head and replied, "head hurt, hurt." Her first string of two words!

This evening we went to a church dinner and while charming the folks, she went out to a few people (including me) and said, "what?" in a New Yorkan rudish way.

Chatty little monkey!

Happy 4th Birthday, Curious George!

2009-03-12T22:38:00.002-04:00

Yesterday was the big 4 for Curious George. He requested to have pancake for breakfast and requested candles. I wasn't planning on blowing candles because his birthday party is on Saturday. Thankfully, I had left over candles from previous birthdays. Phew! He opened our presents after breakfast and then we headed to the Playroom to have some fun - videos on that to come later.

Words Words and more Words

2009-03-12T21:12:00.003-04:00

Lately the twins have been spouting and pontificating more and more. Just some of the recent shenanigans from them are:

Twin 1 frequently calls her sister "Jo" or "Jojo", but twin 2 has not been prone to calling her sister. Just the other day Twin 2 is on the couch when twin 1 climbs off the couch, and she called out "Kagie, you okay?" This was a first in our hearing.

Both twins will now ask if you are okay, usually followed by a pat on the back and a hug.

Twin 2 will try to have a conversation with you, a very animated head shaking arm shaking conversation. She gets very animated, especially if you start talking back. Of course it is usually not understandable but it is cute.

Twin 1 just today has been saying "Matthew go away" and yes it is VERY clear. When I came home from a job fair she wanted a hug, and when Curious George tried to join in, this is when she said it.

Of course curious George got a little out of control due to excitement and decided to push. As I calmly told him not to push, Twin 1 came running up and shaking her finger at her older brother saying "no no no, no pushing".

It is rather amazing to see them grow and start talking like this. It seems only yesterday they were so tiny..

-Daddy

the big girls at the big table

2009-03-10T19:57:00.003-04:00

The girls recently had their first try at the big table eating meatloaf, and rice. They are truly their mama's daughters. Filipinos eat rice 3x a day, but of course I've been toned down since living in the U.S. I can go for days without rice before I crave it. I wonder if the girls would be the same. Curious George is proving to be the opposite; he doesn't like rice or at least he says he doesn't. Depending on what is with the rice, he says he likes it.

Woman and the Sky

2009-03-09T23:28:00.003-04:00

I went out with Curious George this afternoon so he could enjoy the warm day using his bike. He fell once in a while, so I was ready to help him. But I got ahead of myself once and helped before he needed it, and it turned out he didn't need the help. He said, "You don't have to do that, woman!" I cracked up laughing and made Daddy crack up with I told him. It seems I'm not the only one Curious George repeats things from.

One of Curious George's favorite phrase lately is , "the sky told me!" Sometimes we exclaim how smart he is and ask him where he gets things. He has probably heard someone responds, "This guys told me" but substitute sky for guy. :-0

TV TV TV!

2009-03-09T22:23:00.005-04:00

Curious George, Thing 2, Thing 1 watching Curious George's favorite, Fireman Sam.

Thing 1 in green, Thing 2 in blue.

And then some horsing around with Daddy. They love being on the floor time. All you have to do is sprawl on the floor, and it's like a magnet!

at the playground

2009-03-08T15:06:00.003-04:00

It is pretty amazing that not 5 days prior, we had 8 inches of snow and now it's 75 degrees! We headed to to park with packed PBJs and allowed the kids to go wiled. This is the twins' first playground experience.

Thing 1 (gray pants) inspects something interesting on the ground, while Curious George and Thing 2 (red pants) follow Daddy.

Curious George shows his "big boy" talents by going up and down the slide by himself. He also found some friends he enjoyed playing with. He kept calling the kid, "boy". "Hey, boy, look at me I can do this!" Daddy had to explain that he must ask the kid's name and call him by his name.

Thing 2 goes under the bridge.

Then the kids enjoyed the swing. And then off for a little hike in the jogging path.

it's just all about the knee

2009-03-06T22:03:00.007-05:00

After completing 6 weeks of physical therapy post right knee arthroscopy with bilateral release, I'm still in pain and have a great deal of pain lifting my leg straight up (with knee straight/locked). I saw my orthopedist again a few weeks ago and he said that usually this operation alleviates pain and it doesn't seem to be working so I was referred to a Sports Medicine Ortho. On Wednesday, I had a consult. He said that because there is pain right on the knee that I can't get passed, the physical therapy is not doing it's job of strengthening/developing the quads (thigh muscles). This is important to keep the knee cap where it's supposed to stay. There is definitely more surgery that could be done, but the Sports Medicine Ortho said it's a lot more invasive and more downtime and something that should really be put off after trying other measures.

After x-ray of both knees, he said that the cartilage under both my knee caps are thin, especially the right one. He gave me a cortisone shot on the knee to take the pain away in order for give physical therapy a chance to do it's magic. I agreed that this was the best course of action. I don't really want to have another surgery (cartilage replacement from a cadaver) with our financial future in limbo. The words "knee replacement" were thrown in the discussion, and hopefully I'm many many any years away from that.

I must confess that I never really knew how much pain/discomfort my knee was in until the pain was gone. Halleluiah! Now, I still can't lift my leg straight up because there is still pain and my thigh is very weak. But at least now, the pain is not as intense and I can do more exercise.

I will be doing physical therapy until April at which time, both the doctor and I can discuss whether the physical therapy has done it's magic. If there is improvement, we will continue with the shot and go for more therapy. And if there is no improvement...well. Who knows.

I've been in physical therapy for a total of 6 weeks for both knees pre-surgery and 6 weeks on the right knee post surgery and an additional 4 weeks. Now, with this new course of action, I will have another 4-6 weeks. I tell you, my physical therapist and I are pretty chummy, but apparently, we're going to be even closer.

On to a possibly bad news - my husband and I have decided to elect COBRA coverage. We submitted the application a few days ago, and when that kicks in, we will have the same exact health insurance coverage that is effective the day after his termination of Feb. 6th. I stopped going to PT a week after that because didn't know which route to take with the health insurance. But once we've decided, I kept on seeing other doctors. Yesterday, my husband tells me that should the company (who has already filed for Ch. 11) file for Ch. 7 bankruptcy, there will no longer be COBRA coverage. If that happens, this means that I've been seeing doctors without health insurance. I estimated that we'll already be about $1,500 in the whole, and it's just going to be bigger if I keep going 2x a week for physical therapy.

Do I keep going to therapy even though there is a possibility that we'll have to pay for the treatment out of our own pocket? Or I do I stop now and proceed only when we're certain of the future? Questions, questions. My wonderful hubby thinks I should keep going. I'm pretty much useless if my knee doesn't improve. And the Sports Medicine ortho already said it won't improve on it's own if I don't do anything.

Oh my. And to think I used to think I was as healthy as a horse.

what does a boogie board and a pizza pan have in common?

2009-03-03T22:47:00.003-05:00

As promised, I have videos of Daddy and Curious George enjoying the snow. As I mentioned previously, we don't have any sled. We don't even have proper snow attires, so when we got 6-8 inches of snow yesterday, we had to improvise.

Daddy took his boogie board and wrapped it with a lawn bag and duct tape. After dressing Curious George in 2 pairs of pants, 2 socks, rain boots, and 2 pairs of gloves (his regular fleece gloves and one of my leather gloves over it, that is now trashed), they were off to try the contraption.

Daddy had a hard time here, since Curious George had other ideas. He wanted to shovel the entire backyard, apparently. As you can see, the 'sled' seemed to work OK going up the little hill.

At first it looked like it was going to work, but then again, maybe not. This was funny while I was filming it nice and cozy inside the house. But I tell you, this just gets funnier and funnier every time I watch it!

Then it was the pizza pan's turn. It looks like this was my idea, but really, we have Daddy to thank for it. I just put it into action by handing him the pan. If you're not tearing up laughing hard by this point, you have a serious problem!

Daddy was determined to give Curious George an fun experience and he wasn't going to just give up just because we don't have a sled. Curious George actually had a lot of fun here!

Later that day, I took him out again and tried the cover of the sandbox (thanks to Daddy, again for this ingenious idea), but it still didn't work. The snow was too dry and fluffy and our hill is just too tiny.

Oh, the fun!

the twins' first snow experience

2009-03-02T22:45:00.002-05:00

We have about 6-8 inches of snow today so the girls got to experience it for the first time. They almost didn't because they don't have any snow outfits or any other water resistant outfits, but thankfully, I still have Curious George's snow suit from 2 winters ago that he never even got to use.

While Curious George and Daddy were outside, I dressed the girls up one at a time. For shoes, I also found Curious George's rain boots which worked just fine.

Thing 2 was first. The way she just stood on the snow and not know what to do is the cutest thing ever. :-) But as soon as I took her back in, she wailed like she's never wailed before.

After a quick exchange of clothes, it was Thing 1's turn. You can hear Thing 2 throwing a fit in the background. Thing 1's snow experience was a bit shorter than Thing 2 since she's been wheezing lately. The cold makes her wheeze more so we had to be super quick.

I have videos of Curious George and Daddy's attempt to sled, but I will have to post that for tomorrow since it's pretty late. I have an 8am physical therapy appointment tomorrow and I must go to bed. Though more than likely, I may have to cancel. It's going to be super cold and being unstable with a bum knee it's not a good idea to be slippin' and slidin'. We'll shall see.

reading the pictures

2009-02-26T23:08:00.006-05:00

Every night, after we read him bedtime stories, this little boy goes to his bed, turns on his flashlight and "reads" in the dark. He looks through all the pages of the books and inspects all of the pictures. Some of his favorite books are by Richard Scarry - books that include trains, cars, and airplanes. In the last 6 months, we've gone through about 4 different flashlights and many many AA batteries. I've been working with him on reading simple words, but we haven't been seriously doing it. And his preschool class is working on letter sounds and writing, but no concentration on reading just yet.

This boy is so ready to read. I will need to get some tools and resources to help him out soon. I've been researching Hooked on Phonics and already know that he is beyond his age level. This boy is a smart one! He will definitely surpass his Daddy's collection of books. Sadly, he'll probably be as blind as a bat by the time he gets to his 20's just like his Mama.

The background music is the same music he's been listening since he was born. We have a few different CD's but Daddy and I could only tolerate a few when he was co-sleeping with us. This music plays on a loop non-stop. Aside from going through flashlights and batteries, we'll probably go through many CD players.

Incidentally, the above flashlight may have died tonight. I changed the batteries and not 30 minutes later, I hear a scream about the flashlight being broken.

WIC and milk allergy don't go together

2009-02-25T20:34:00.008-05:00

We had our WIC appointment yesterday and after a total of 2 hours, we finally made it out. The appointment itself didn't take long, it's just the normal government agency slowness at work. No one is ever in a hurry. I am also glad that hubby was able to come. Had I been alone with the 3 kids, I would have brought our side-by-side stroller to contain the twins, and that my friends, wouldn't have been able to fit in the tiny waiting room filled with chairs. The paper work was also not as bad as it could have been. Since the kids have been approved for Medicaid, WIC didn't have to verify income.

Once we were called in and the girls saw the scale, they started screaming. These two are scarred for life from their RSV shot days. And the screaming just got worse after their fingers were pricked to check blood levels for anemia. After all that was done, we were ushered to the next room by the so called nutritionist. She explained that the boy is big for his age and asked what he ate. I told her he actually doesn't eat that much. He only eats cheese, PBJ, fruits, chicken and dairy products. Then she said that WIC will cover milk, eggs, cheese, cereal, beans. At this point, I told her the girls have milk allergy, to which she replied, "well, as an alternative we have lactose free milk and powdered milk." I had to stop my gut reaction of slapping my forehead, rolling my eyes, and pulling my hair out. But instead, I said, "they can't have those because they still contain milk proteins" and they need to be on soy. She said they don't cover soy unfortunately, so I just let it be.

We were given WIC checks to cover two months for the three kids. The checks of course cover milk for each of the girls. Since they can't consume milk and milk products, we'll have plenty of milk for hubby, me and Curious George. We won't need to worry about who will eat the cheese since Curious George can consume his weight in cheese. The WIC checks also include 1 lb bag of dried beans. I have never used dried beans and don't really know what to do with that. I will either not buy them, or buy them and probably donate them to our church or hold on to them until I can figure out how to cook them.

I got to use one of the checks today, which covered a total of $20 worth: 2 gallons of milk, 1 lb of cheese, 36 oz of dry cereal, 2 cans of frozen juice (this one is new for us too). I just used one of the kids' check since each check include milk. My husband and I and the little man can't possibly consume that much milk in a week.

Anyway, we are completely thankful for this aid. Twenty dollars worth of staples that we don't have to worry about is a lot of help. I just wish they cover soy milk. If WIC lowers the amount of milk gallons approved for the twins to cover soy milk (soy milk is more expensive), we'll be happy. But they don't make concessions for special cases, sadly.

The information packet we received says WIC covers peanut butter, but none of the kids' WIC checks include peanut butter. Perhaps this because my kids are too healthy? Hmmm. Also, I doubt the so-called nutritionist is a nutritionist at all. Why else would she offer other milk-containing substitutes after I said my kids have milk allergy? Ladies and gents, there is a big difference between milk allergy and milk intolerance. The latter gives people diahhrea and doesn't cause people to carry epinephrine pens. Consuming anything with milk and milk derivatives causes my twins hives around their mouths within minutes of consuming them and causes them to sneeze, watery eyes and raspiness.

I have to thank a fella mama of twins at diagnosis:urine for sharing her WIC experience with me. Based on my online research of WIC, I didn't think we'd qualify, but this kind woman shared what she knew and so I went for it.

balance bike - a bike without a pedal

2009-02-23T20:50:00.006-05:00

A few months ago, we've decided to get Curious George a balance bike for his birthday. Balance bikes are bikes without pedals in order to teach little ones to balance. A bike with training wheels doesn't really do much to teach kids. Balance bikes run anywhere from $100 to upwards of $300. But since our family is now in the poor house, we have to do it the cheap way. We bought a $35 12-inch bike at Wal-Mart and Daddy removed the pedal. Actually, arriving at what size bike to get Curious George ruined the surprise. We measured his stance and went to the store, but that didn't quite work so we had to bring him in. And of course we couldn't get him out of the store without one. So with much negotiation, we finally just broke down and gave him an early present. Which then ruined one more thing - the pedal. He loved pedaling around the store, that when Daddy surprised him the next day with the bike with missing pedal and training wheels, all hell broke lose. And the fact that he didn't sleep well the night before made the 'hell' even worse.

But after the nap, we were able to convince him to try the bike without the pedal with the promise that Daddy would put the pedal and training wheels back on if he just but try first.

Here is what happened:

As a balance bike, he should be able to put both feet flat on the ground, so this is just a tad too high. But Daddy couldn't make it any lower. Still, he did very well. We are very proud of Curious George. This video includes me screaming with excitement about his little run of balancing so I had to cover it up with pretty music. :0) After about half an hour, Daddy finally put the pedal and training wheels back on, at which point, Curious George became a speed-demon.

Unfortunately, it rained the next day so we had to occupy Curious George another way. Here is Daddy and son bonding over Lego.