May 6
File this under, "Things I wish I could un-see": Today was the first time (that I know of) that one of my kids ate their own poop. Oh MiMo. The girls were mortified as well.
Woohoo, parenthood.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
Planting Time!
April 27
We didn't plant or mulch the past two years (I believe). So we were LONNNNGGGG over due. We waited to due the bulk of the work while MiMo was sleeping. The girls helped me earlier in the day to purchase some flowers. They rock. Moses came and inspected our work after he woke up.
We didn't plant or mulch the past two years (I believe). So we were LONNNNGGGG over due. We waited to due the bulk of the work while MiMo was sleeping. The girls helped me earlier in the day to purchase some flowers. They rock. Moses came and inspected our work after he woke up.
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| Frances in pink and Grace in polka dots |
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| MiMo and daddy |
Grandma and Grandpa Visit in April
April (the week before Easter)
Grandma and Grandpa Parry came to visit. We had lots of plans. But, unfortunately, I got sick with the flu - and then passed it to everyone else. It was a pretty miserable week. Grandma was the only one who escaped unscathed (thank goodness since she would have suffered the worst).
Here are some pics from before we were all bed ridden...
Grandma and Grandpa Parry came to visit. We had lots of plans. But, unfortunately, I got sick with the flu - and then passed it to everyone else. It was a pretty miserable week. Grandma was the only one who escaped unscathed (thank goodness since she would have suffered the worst).
Here are some pics from before we were all bed ridden...
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| Grandpa and MiMo chillin' out |
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| Frances, Grandma and Grace drawing |
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| Yard work with grandma and grandpa |
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| Sweet Gracie |
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| Sweet Francie |
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| Grandma gives the best foot rubs (Frances) |
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| Grandma, Frances and Grace - reading Berenstain Bears (thanks Aunt Amy!) |
Auntie Lulu, Uncle Nick and Baby Ava (aka bun in the oven)
April 12
Enjoyed a visit from my wonderful and dear college friend, Lulu, who was visiting from Virginia. And looking very preggers! :-) It was so nice catching up with her and Nick. And Nick brought some fabulous home brews. We BBQ'd and enjoyed the afternoon together. I was able to pass on the "Wells pump" that was handed from Bo to me, and now, to Lulu. Can't wait to meet the little one when she decides to enter the world!!
Enjoyed a visit from my wonderful and dear college friend, Lulu, who was visiting from Virginia. And looking very preggers! :-) It was so nice catching up with her and Nick. And Nick brought some fabulous home brews. We BBQ'd and enjoyed the afternoon together. I was able to pass on the "Wells pump" that was handed from Bo to me, and now, to Lulu. Can't wait to meet the little one when she decides to enter the world!!
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| This is the infamous baby bump door (I took all my bump photos here) Nice to have one of Lulu's bump!! |
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| Look at that cute mama! |
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| Grace, me, Lulu, Frances, and Nick |
Look Ma! Twins!
April 6
I remind the girls that they are twins, but they never really understood what that meant before. Today was the first time I had one of them acknowledge another set of twins - unprompted. Frances pointed at a set of twin boys and said, "Look mommy, twins! Like me and Grace!" Awesome!
I remind the girls that they are twins, but they never really understood what that meant before. Today was the first time I had one of them acknowledge another set of twins - unprompted. Frances pointed at a set of twin boys and said, "Look mommy, twins! Like me and Grace!" Awesome!
Park and Farm - Spring has Arrived?
Weekend of April 1st at the park and opening weekend for Clark's Elioak Farm! Is it really Spring?!?!?!
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| Grace on left and Francie on right - at the park |
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| The 3 amigos! Grace, Frances and Moses - at the park |
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| Our twins with the twin goats! |
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| Mommy and Francie |
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| Moses is so serious on his first hayride |
MiMo's First Pizza!
March 20th
MiMo had his first pizza EVER. It was gluten and milk free, of course. He loved it!
MiMo had his first pizza EVER. It was gluten and milk free, of course. He loved it!
Where Do Markers Go?
This is from March 1st (sorry I'm just catching up now on past posts).
Mommy: Grace, where do markers go?
Grace: In my nose.
Yep, bright pink marker up both nostrils. And I'm pretty sure MiMo sucked on the marker right afterwords. Delish!
Friday, February 28, 2014
Where's MiMo?
The other night I thought I was going crazy because I couldn't find Moses.
The girls and I were on a "treasure hunt" while he was entertaining himself by flinging balls across the floor. I make a point of always keeping him within eye sight because he's my active little guy, and quickly gets into trouble. Well 5 seconds out of my line of sight and the 'too quiet' atmosphere got me curious. I looked around, no sign of him. I called his name, no answer. I knew the gate to upstairs was closed. And the basement door was closed too (he definitely isn't coordinated enough to close that door behind him). The front door was locked. I checked "everywhere." Our townhouse isn't that big. And I was only checking the main level. I checked the living room, bathroom, dining room and kitchen. The girls were otherwise occupied. After getting on my hands and knees to check under the dining room table for about the 3rd time I notice movement out of the corner of my eye...
Keep in mind the dining room isn't that brightly lit. The flash on my camera is very deceiving. It was very dark under the buffet table.
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| I think his ball rolled under there so he crawled in to get it. Then decided it was a pretty cool place to chill out. |
Monday, February 24, 2014
Moses' First Trip to the Maryland Zoo
I felt so confident after my successful solo trip
with the girls down to The National Mall on Saturday. Sunday was to be equally beautiful
weather-wise. So I convinced Richard that we should all head up to The Maryland
Zoo. It was a bit chillier than the day before. It probably didn't start
warming up until after we left the zoo. Ah well.
When we got there, they had an African penguin greeting
guests. I thought I took both girls' pictures with the penguin, but apparently
Frances' never took. Ah well. Since the girls look so much alike you can pretend it's both of them haha.
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| Grace with an African penguin |
I directed Richard to the Maryland Wilderness
Section/Children's Zoo, since the last time I was there with the girls there
were all sorts of things to climb in and on. But much of it was being renovated
and roped off. But Richard did really appreciate how stroller accessible the
whole zoo is. And how close all the animals are. Some of the animals weren't
out, since it was still cold for many of them.
Moses was too much of a hassle. He just didn't want to
sit still. And kept throwing tantrums. Part of it was his age, part his
temperament, and part teething. It was a bit stressful for all of us (even the
girls). But at least we all got some fresh air. The zoo is super hilly though
and man, my legs were burning (probably some residual soreness from Saturday).
Here are just a few shots I managed during the trip.
Here are just a few shots I managed during the trip.
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| The fun tortoise shells (Grace in peach pants, Frances in pink pants, and Moses in the foreground) |
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| LtoR: Frances, Grace and Moses And a goat, in the petting farm area. |
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| LtoR: Grace, Moses, Frances Checking out the hornbills, storks and crested cranes |
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| Moses checks out the Kudu |
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| Moses tries to break in to the elephant enclosure (that's Frances in the foreground) |
Frances & Grace's First Metro Ride and Trip to the National Mall
The Smithsonian's dinosaur hall, at the Natural History Museum, is closing on April 28th for a 5-year renovation! I decided that the girls were old enough to appreciate a trip down (considering when it re-opens they will be 8 years old!!!). I admit, I was freaking out about caravanning downtown solo with both girls. What if I lost them on the metro, in the museum, etc.? But I sucked it up and ventured out.
I drove to New Carrollton's Metro Station since it's on the same line as the Smithsonian metro stop. I figured if I didn't have to transfer trains I would lessen the chance of my kids getting lost. I got on, and as the train was moving the engineer says that there is track maintenance and we'll have to transfer to a bus to continue on to the next open station. More stressful than just moving to a different train in the station. Doh! Normally I would panic, it's just my personality. But I was mellowed by a dose of children's Dramamine. Haha. The train stopped at Cheverly and then we hoped on a bus to Eastern Market, where we got on a train again to head to the mall. It all went relatively smoothly considering I had 3-year-old twins, a stroller, and two bags in tow. Thank god for working elevators!!
The hassle added about a half hour onto our trip. But we made it.
We took a picture in front of the Washington Monument.
We met up with my cousin Joe and his son, Ben at the Natural History museum. The girls were a bit overwhelmed at first. It's a big building and it was crowded. I ended up leaving the stroller in a place I felt it was out of the way, grabbed the bags and walked with the girls. (And yes, my stroller was still there an hour later). The girls liked looking at the bones and the pictures on the walls. They, and Ben, all loved the little science room. There are all sorts of things to touch and examine.
If it weren't for our late-running metro ride we would have hung out in that room longer -- but the girls, and I, were starving. Smithsonian has a no-outside-food-rule, but I called ahead and they OK'd us for allergy reasons -- which I knew they would, but it's always good to check first. So we sat in the café with Ben and Joe, and ate our lunches. Talk about ravenous raptor group haha.
Joe and Ben had to leave to go to a play date. So the girls and I finished our lunches and then made our way back outside. It was beautiful. I was actually sweating, so when the girls wanted to run around for a bit, I was more than willing to oblige (pushing the stroller gets a little tough on the legs, arms and back).
I took their picture by the Smithsonian Castle - they loved that building!
We watched the carousel. We walked through the Sculpture Garden. The girls wanted to touch the sculptures. I missed the sign that said "No Touching." Doh. Ah well. The Park Ranger guy just gave me a dirty look and motioned them away. All while Grace is examining one voluptuous sculpture and remarks on its "REALLY BIG BOOBIES!" Hahahaha. We chilled out in the shade, drank some water, and relaxed.
We then trekked over to the Air & Space Museum. I got there just as about 4 bus loads of high school/college kids were unloading. I'm fumbling with holding the doors open for the girls, plus carrying the stroller and our bags, and the kids just come rushing up behind us. Pushing against me AND the kids. The security guard says to put bags on the conveyor belt if you have them and if you don't, just walk through the metal detector. So I'm putting my bags on the belt and several girls push right past me - BETWEEN me and my children! I couldn't even see Frances and Grace. I had a mini-freak out moment. And they were scared too. I was so pissed off, but had to put on a chill face my girls so they'd know everything is under control. I really hope I wasn't that oblivious when I was that age, but who knows. Anyway, that was really the only "bad" part of the day.
The girls loved the Air & Space Museum. We looked at all the planes and rockets. The loved walking through the American Airlines plane. We didn't go through the exhibits sections, because they are too young to appreciate any of that stuff anyway. The big stuff was exciting enough!
After the Air & Space Museum, we went back outside and sat along the wall to eat some applesauce and drink water.
We then walked towards the Capitol Building (I mean I walked, they rode in the stroller haha). They had fun watching the seagulls in the Capitol Reflecting Pool. It really was gorgeous outside.
We finally headed to the Federal Center Metro Station and began our long trek home. We had to do the whole shuttle bus thing again. And at the Eastern Market Metro Station, I was trying to call the elevator down to us. I pressed the button and alarms went off. And a firm voice says, "State your emergency." I said, "Ummm, I thought I pushed the 'UP' button." They gave an exasperated "Okay" and hung up. Then I spent about 2 minutes feeling crazy because I still couldn't find the damn button. Hahaha. For every elevator ride the rest of the way home, the girls kept saying: "Mommy, did you press the right button this time?" Or "Uh oh, I think you press the wrong button" Or "Don't press the wrong one!" I'm glad they found it amusing.
We made it home safe and sound. My legs were so sore!
I drove to New Carrollton's Metro Station since it's on the same line as the Smithsonian metro stop. I figured if I didn't have to transfer trains I would lessen the chance of my kids getting lost. I got on, and as the train was moving the engineer says that there is track maintenance and we'll have to transfer to a bus to continue on to the next open station. More stressful than just moving to a different train in the station. Doh! Normally I would panic, it's just my personality. But I was mellowed by a dose of children's Dramamine. Haha. The train stopped at Cheverly and then we hoped on a bus to Eastern Market, where we got on a train again to head to the mall. It all went relatively smoothly considering I had 3-year-old twins, a stroller, and two bags in tow. Thank god for working elevators!!
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| So excited for our first Metro train ride! Grace left, Frances right |
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| First Metro bus ride! Frances background, Grace foreground |
We took a picture in front of the Washington Monument.
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| Frances and Gracie |
We met up with my cousin Joe and his son, Ben at the Natural History museum. The girls were a bit overwhelmed at first. It's a big building and it was crowded. I ended up leaving the stroller in a place I felt it was out of the way, grabbed the bags and walked with the girls. (And yes, my stroller was still there an hour later). The girls liked looking at the bones and the pictures on the walls. They, and Ben, all loved the little science room. There are all sorts of things to touch and examine.
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| The famous elephant at the entrance to the Natural History Museum (Gracie left and Francie right) |
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| Cool bones! (Frances and Grace aka silly face) |
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| Ben found a human skull! |
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| Fun with magnifying glasses! Frances back, Grace front |
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| Everybody getting their science on! Top to bottom: Ben, France and Grace |
Joe and Ben had to leave to go to a play date. So the girls and I finished our lunches and then made our way back outside. It was beautiful. I was actually sweating, so when the girls wanted to run around for a bit, I was more than willing to oblige (pushing the stroller gets a little tough on the legs, arms and back).
I took their picture by the Smithsonian Castle - they loved that building!
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| Grace and Francie hugging |
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| Frances and Grace in the shade at the Sculpture Garden |
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| I took Richard's picture in front of this rabbit many moons ago! (Frances left, Grace right) |
The girls loved the Air & Space Museum. We looked at all the planes and rockets. The loved walking through the American Airlines plane. We didn't go through the exhibits sections, because they are too young to appreciate any of that stuff anyway. The big stuff was exciting enough!
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| We went through this plane a few times. (Frances behind stroller, and Grace in front) |
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| Grace and Frances loving the planes |
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| Astronauts! (LtoR: Grace and Frances) |
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| Frances (back) and Grace (front) enjoying some applesauce |
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| Frances (left) and Grace (right) Grace kept trying to climb in. |
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| After a long day (Grace left, Frances right) |
We made it home safe and sound. My legs were so sore!
Snowtastrophe 2014!
The Wednesday before last (Feb 12) there were reports of a big storm brewing. In the morning I had taken Moses to his 18-month check up (see previous post) -- and I'm so thankful it was that morning! By about 8 o'clock at night Richard informed me there was a coating of snow on the ground. The next morning, Thursday, I looked out the window and saw a sea of white. I called the office to see what the operating status was for telecommuting. Nat says, "Oh? Do you have a lot of snow? I have about 3 inches here." I went outside and measured 11 inches and counting (this was 6 a.m.). Hahaha. I told him that there was no way I was gonna make it in and that I would have to telecommute.
Several more inches fell in that morning. All of the neighbors shoveled their sidewalks and the main ones, as well as cleaned off their cars. We just needed to wait for the snow plow to come through. All this time I thought our HOA was in charge of plowing our community, but it's the county's job. The HOA only pays for the main sidewalks to be cleaned and the contractor was "backed up" with other jobs. Well the county finally showed up to plow our complex on FRIDAY at 4 p.m. When the plow ran low on gas and had to go fill up. Haha. Seriously. They came back, but only made the one pass through our cul de sac. As in, only one car can go through at a time. So Richard went out and spent about 1.5 hours clearing off the van again (because it snowed more on Thursday night) and dug a tunnel to the plow path. Blah.
And judging from the amount of snow still sitting on the sidewalks leading into our complex, it looks like the contractors for the sidewalks never showed up... hope we aren't paying them too much, considering our community did most of the work themselves.
All that aside, the snow was awesome for the kids. Especially the girls. My Aunt Bec and Uncle Bob got the kids a sled for Christmas. So we made use of it - a lot! There is the perfect-sized hill right in front of our house. I took at least one of the kids out every day. It was a lot of fun. We made a snow man too.
We also discovered a leak in the ceiling above our bay window. Turns out the flashing was loose and the caulking was falling off and/or missing. So we got that fixed. Thank goodness!
Here are some pics of our snow adventures!
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| Sad little ruler poking out of the snow at 6 a.m. Thursday morning |
Several more inches fell in that morning. All of the neighbors shoveled their sidewalks and the main ones, as well as cleaned off their cars. We just needed to wait for the snow plow to come through. All this time I thought our HOA was in charge of plowing our community, but it's the county's job. The HOA only pays for the main sidewalks to be cleaned and the contractor was "backed up" with other jobs. Well the county finally showed up to plow our complex on FRIDAY at 4 p.m. When the plow ran low on gas and had to go fill up. Haha. Seriously. They came back, but only made the one pass through our cul de sac. As in, only one car can go through at a time. So Richard went out and spent about 1.5 hours clearing off the van again (because it snowed more on Thursday night) and dug a tunnel to the plow path. Blah.
And judging from the amount of snow still sitting on the sidewalks leading into our complex, it looks like the contractors for the sidewalks never showed up... hope we aren't paying them too much, considering our community did most of the work themselves.
All that aside, the snow was awesome for the kids. Especially the girls. My Aunt Bec and Uncle Bob got the kids a sled for Christmas. So we made use of it - a lot! There is the perfect-sized hill right in front of our house. I took at least one of the kids out every day. It was a lot of fun. We made a snow man too.
We also discovered a leak in the ceiling above our bay window. Turns out the flashing was loose and the caulking was falling off and/or missing. So we got that fixed. Thank goodness!
Here are some pics of our snow adventures!
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| Frances (L) and Grace (R), my snow babies! |
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| Moses and I, sledding |
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| Moses waddles through the snow |
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| The snowman the girls and I made (Frances in pink, Grace in brown, and Moses) |
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| Moses eats the snowman |
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| The girls and their snowman. So proud! (Frances left, Grace right) |
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| Frances front, Grace in back |
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| Grace, Moses and Frances enjoying the snow! |
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