The Press Family...Lots of Testosterone

Adieu to the Public

2012-02-01T14:04:00.000-08:00

In lieu of recent events, I'm sorry to say I've decided to take my blog private.
There have been some comments made that were from disgusting pedophiles.
It seems I was naive.
Where most people see nothing more than a cute bootie on a child, others see something completely opposite. I didn't think anything I posted was more than what one might see on a Pampers box or an ad in a parenting magazine.
I was wrong.
So, very wrong.
I'll leave it public for another day or so so this can be read...if only to serve as a warning to other moms (who I thought were the only ones reading my blog).
If you'd like the password, please leave a comment or hit me up on Facebook for those of you I know in real life.
And, to those disgusting pedophiles who look at adorable pictures of children and only think lewd and vile sexual thoughts...
to you...
I hope you get penis cancer.
And after that, rectal cancer.
And after that, the really bad cancers that are horribly painful but still take 4 years to kill you.
And after that...
I hope someone blows your head off with a shotgun.
Go to Hell.
That is all.

At a Loss For Words

2012-01-31T14:34:00.000-08:00

I don't even know how to start...
I use BlogPress sometimes to post to my blog. There is a comment section that I've never seen before, so I clicked on the button. There's a boatload of comments on this thing! Ones I've never seen before!
I enjoyed reading so many of them, but...
there were a few that were DISGUSTING. Like, I want to throw up right now disgusting.
I don't know what to do...I guess I'm naive with blogging...is it BlogPress? Is it Blogspot? Do I need to make my blog private? Use a password? Can everyone see the comments? It appears so...
I know I've gotten a lot of visitors, since I have a ticker to keep track, but I didn't know (again, naive) that disgusting pedophiles out there would be looking...
I'm so upset right now.
ANy advice would be great.

Self Expression

2012-01-30T14:39:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, the weather was so beautiful, I pulled out an art project.

Which, in no time at all, turned into some naked artists

They decided painting each other was even more fun than painting on some ripped bed sheet I'd been saving for just this moment of self expression.

Conversation had that day:Zachary: Mom, can I paint my penis?Me: Yes, you can paint your penis. But don't put paint IN your penis.Never imagined I'd ever say those words.

My boss, when asked if he ever let his boys do that, scoffed and said, "Uhm...no."How sad.

Maybe I'm a little crunchy granola, but...why not? Why not let your kids get messy and run around naked? In a very short time, my boys will have to wear clothes all the time and only paint on canvas or paper. I can assure you, when it's 102 degrees in a few months and we're in and out of the pool all day, my kids will be naked. All.The.Time. If they're 15 and still doing this, then you can scoff.

Besides, aren't those little booties adorable?!!

Santa Barbara Zoo

2012-01-18T14:23:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday I took the kids to the Santa Barbara Zoo. We had a great time and I only lost Dylan for about 45 seconds...that's a WIN in my book.
These pics are backwards, but I just don't have time to fiddle around with this today...

The ride home...Zach is in the waaay back sound asleep, too

Feeding the giraffe...they LOVED this!

The view on our way home

Oops...feeding the giraffe again

Sliding down the astroturf hill. Of course, Zach, not to be outdone, did it standing up because he can

"Dylan, what are you doing?"

"Eating my snack".

The Magic of Disney...

2012-01-11T15:45:00.001-08:00

...escapes me. I must have missed the "Disney Magic" gene. I just don't get it. I'm truly sorry if I'm offending any serious Disney fans out there.

I like Disneyland. Don't get me wrong. There are rides. There are the beautiful decorations. There are the very nice "cast members" AKA employees. That's all swell. There are also the crowds. The long ass lines. The children screaming and crying with their heads about to spin around because they've missed their nap. There's the RIDICULOUS entry fee. I will go to Disneyland because I have three kids who loooove it and loooove Mickey and all of his friends. They also looooove rides. But, you will never, ever, EVER see me at Disneyland without my kids.

For me, there is no point. It'd be like seeing me at a Christian bookstore. Or getting a prostate exam. There's just no need. Ever. Now, before you Disney fans get all up in arms about how cynical I am or how I must have not got enough hugs as a child, trust me, there are weird things I love that one would think, "no way in hell would I do that!".

For example, I love to look at open houses. A wonderful Sunday for me would be to go to some richy-rich area and go from open house to open house.
I also looooove to paint. Not on canvas, but on drywall. Need a room painted? I'm your girl.
I also love animals. Give me a petting zoo and I'll give you a genuine Jenn Press smile.

Which leads me to last Friday. We went to Disneyland. Jeff is going to be away for 6 weeks in Arizona (minus 2 days when he'll be able to sneak home for a visit.). So he suggests we do Disney. One might think we're crazy because it's so expensive and let's just say we're not swimming in our bank accounts. Well, naysayers...turns out we had some free tickets! Packed our own food, and it only cost us $15 to park, some ice cream dibs, a frozen lemonade and a beer for me so I could rally. (Beer available at California Adventure, FYI). Not a bad deal, I would say.

We had a great time...but holy hell was it crowded! Apparently tons of people were still on Xmas vacay, which I didn't realize. Not the ideal day to go. The first ride we went on was Pinocchio. Bad choice. The twins were not pleased and hid their heads and cried for most of it. By the way, that shit is scary. It's dark. And there are scary puppets dancing and singing to you...like they could come at with you a cleaver at any second. Zachary, of course was fine. However, we knew we'd not be going on Pirates of the Caribbean or the Haunted Mansion after that.
We did manage to all go on the Matterhorn, which was awesome! The twins met the height requirement but I was still a little nervous for them. Zachary sat alone (no worries there, he's such a thrill seeker!) and Jeff had Trevor and I had Dylan. They didn't cry or scream...perhaps they couldn't catch enough breath to do so? Whatever, it was great and they didn't seem traumatized so yay for us. We went on a ton of other rides, too.

The twins lasted all day, much to my chagrin...I was hoping they'd nap at some point in the BOB stroller. They didn't. They finally conked out at 9:45 pm, after going since 11:00am. No meltdowns either, so that worked out. Zach lasted until 2 seconds after we left the parking structure. Some pics:

Christmas

2012-01-04T21:48:00.001-08:00

Oh what a great Xmas we had! The major reason is NO ONE was sick this Christmas! Two years ago, Dylan was in the hospital for 12 days and completely missed his first Xmas. Last year, all the kids were sick, nothing quite as major, just bad colds. This year, however, we were all the picture of health! Fabulous!The morning started off with the kids running down the hallway, checking to see if Santa did his duty and ate the cookies and egg nog they left for him. They also found the reindeer had made a mess in the kitchen again and rooted around in the fridge for carrots (apparently that apples weren't enough).

The wrapping paper chaos

Zachary was obviously into Xmas and Santa but I was surprised by how much the twins loved it, too. I have to say, Santa did pretty darn good on the shoestring budget he had this year. The candy necklaces were a MAJOR hit and they were only about .50 at the party store. (Mental note for next year).

Family pic

The weather was beautiful! We're having a very weird hot spell here in the middle of winter. It was in the high 60's and we went outside and played until nap time with the rocket balloons and the stomp rocket. The kids must've felt deprived of actual Xmas weather so they took the round sleds and slid down the neighbor's grassy hill. Heh. My parents came down a few days after Xmas and the kids did it all again! They got Mickey Mouse tshirts and hoodies (twins) and Zach got Spiderman clothes. Big hit! Zach got a new, bigger, dinosaur bike since he decided to stop using training wheels 4 months ago or so. He's so tall that his first bike started to look like a mini bike. He of course hopped on and rode like the devil. His best trait is his coordination. He's very quick to pick things up. The twins got another bike that matches Zach's old one. We had a great holiday!

You'd Better Watch Out...For Therapy...

2011-12-07T13:03:00.000-08:00

A week ago or so we took the kids to see Santa at the mall. I'd prepped Zach and told him Santa would ask him what he wanted for Christmas and he'd need to tell him what he wanted. Zach hasn't fully become aware that he can ask for things...he doesn't watch many commercials because I DVR everything...and he doesn't ask for things at the store...yet. I'm sure it's coming soon, so I'm happy he doesn't quite get it.
There was no one in line the whole time we were there, which was fantastic. I let Zach go first and have a little one-on-one with Santa first. When poor Santa was ready (as ready as he could be), we traumatized the twins and handed them off to a stranger. A big, red-suited, hairy stranger. With a weird hat and gloves.
They loved every single minute of it.

I posted that pic on Facebook and a friend of mine said, "OMG, it's like Zach is thinking "This is THE.best.day.of.my.life.EVER."
It's true. I don't think he could have smiled any bigger.
So after we got the picture and scooped up the terrified twosome, I look back at Santa to see this:

I don't have the other picture where Zach was curled up on Santa's lap with his face buried in his armpit. I could not believe the LOVE that was going on there. I just hope this Santa isn't a member of NAMBLA or anything.

*Disclaimer*
This Santa was a very nice man. He was patient and kind and when I gave him a $5 tip for his cocktail...er...trouble...he tried to refuse it. However, I can't help but wonder if these men who play Santa aren't juuuuuussssst a little creepy. I'm sure this one is a nice grandpa to someone.

H.O.L.Y.S.H.I.T

2011-11-05T20:16:00.001-07:00

Meet Trevor and Dylan. The incredible climbing monkeys.
I just separated their cribs and moved them to opposite sides of the room so they'd at least stop climbing from one to the other like chimps.
These pics are the only ones I've taken. The other areas they like to climb on are as follows:
Kitchen counters
Bathroom counters
Wet bar counter
Office desk
Playroom counter
Every table in the house

If I had a chandelier, it'd be on the damn list.
It's been unreal.
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Oh Yes, Another Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-24T13:48:00.000-07:00

I know, I'm a blogging FOOL lately, aren't I?? I still haven't gotten my coveted laptop (no, I'm not joking. I told you my husband is a loony toon when it comes to purchases). However, we DID install more RAM into our desktop and lucky, lucky day the dinosaur hasn't frozen up on me since! So, while the band-aid is on, allow me to bore you with more pumpkin-particulars...

Jeff is out of town, but being the brave soul that I am, I took the kids to a pumpkin patch we've never been to.

*GASP*!!

I know. How is it possible there is a fabulous pumpkin patch within 40 miles of me and I did not know? It's inconceivable.

Faulkner Farms is in Santa Paula, which is almost to Ventura. It was really nice, very farm-like with red barns, animals, a pumpkin chucker ($5 lets you catapult a pumpkin into a field) and of course, all different types of pumpkins, gourds and squash.
Zach really wanted to chuck a pumpkin, but he was misbehaving so I said no.

We did go into the petting zoo (I know, SHOCKER!!) and it was a good one! You couldn't feed them but you could hold ducklings, chickens, rabbits and get right into each individual pen and get up close and personal with the pigs, sheep and goats. Dylan tried to get into the calf pen but that was not supposed to happen. Lol

They had a free (!) hay ride that took you all around the farm and they described the buildings and the historic nature of the farm. There is a beautiful Victorian home built in 1894 where the Faulkners lived. The bid red barn is also from that time. Awesome! They sell Halloween gifts and we did not go in because I could see from the door there were breakables. Yeah, not on my watch, mister.

This may be my favorite picture of Zach of.all.time. If you know me well, then you know I love animals. Always have. I was the kid who brought numerous kittens and dogs home because they "followed me". I always wanted a horse when I was little and I've probably read Black Beauty 30 times...2o of those times were before I was 16. I wanted to do 4H until I quickly learned the animals you cared for would eventually be slaughtered. I wanted to volunteer at an animal shelter until I learned the unadopted animals would be killed. I of course LOVE LOVE LOVE petting zoos and one of the qualities I hoped to instill in my kids would be kindness towards animals. I think I hit the jackpot with Zach! He loves animals and if he sees one he usually exclaims, "Ohhh, how cute!!"
Well, imagine my excitement when I saw we could hold ducklings! Zach wanted to hold one immediately and I caught this pic. Even the duck posed!

I took the other picture when he didn't know it and it filled my heart to see him talking to the duck, sayind, "awww, shhhhh, you're ok little duck..."

Pumpkins of the Past

2011-10-22T16:45:00.000-07:00

October 2010

October 2009

October 2008

October 2007

Awww, We Have a New Word

2011-10-21T12:48:00.001-07:00

YouTube Video

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Mo' Punkins!

2011-10-16T18:41:00.000-07:00

True to my word, we visited another pumpkin patch the day after our first one. This one is at Pierce College in the Valley, about 30 minutes away. I won't bore you with the dull details...instead, it's like this:
pumpkinsblahblahblahblahblahhay balesblahblahblahblahblahblahpetting zooblahblahblahblahblahtrain rideblahblahblahblahblahblahblahmy kids are cute.
There.
Enjoy more pics.

It's the Hap-Happiest Season of Alllll.....FALL!

2011-10-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

I am a self proclaimed pumpkin patch whore.

I love them. I try to hit as many as I can in the month of October.

I don't know why this is. Perhaps my parents didn't take me to them when I was little and now I overcompensate. I don't remember going to pumpkin patches when I was little, nor did I feel like I was missing out. The pumpkin patches in my teen years were all the "throw some pumpkins in a parking lot and a bounce house and call it a day" kind. I couldn't have cared less.

Now...it's my favorite thing to do. It could be the animals, the roasted corn on the cob, the photo ops...whatever it is, please enjoy the pictures from the first trip of the season.

Dylan after his sno-cone

The quietest, calmest moment of our day

On the fire engine...this is what our pictures usually look like...no one looking at the camera except me

How I wish I had this facility in my home. A girl can dream

Dylan and his devilish grin

Trevor

Train ride

I love this picture. It looks like Dylan is saying, "Oooooooooo!" as he catches his brother misbehaving

Trevor saying, "Check out THESE pumpkins!"

The three little monkeys

Zach, Trevor and Dylan

Zach petting a cow

This and That

2011-09-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

I need a new computer. Mine runs like it's on dial up and if you know me in real life, you know I have the patience of an angry wasp when it comes to computers. Or anything, really. Let's be honest.
So, we need a new computer. Which is why I've been super lax on blogging. I want a laptop so I can be more portable. Meaning, I want to be on the computer when I watch tv at night. I've been scouting out the ads, the deals, the info.
I went to Best Buy a few weekends ago so I could pick a 17 year olds' brain about what I should get, ie. ram, GB, etc. I might be able to navigate a computer pretty well but I know nothing about the nuts and bolts. So I did that. The 17 year old informed me very well.
I tell Jeff what I learned.
This is how I would proceed next. Check out a few websites or ads. Find the computer that has the best nuts and bolts for what we'll need it for. Go to the store. Purchase said laptop. Have our friend/computer guy transfer our old stuff to our new fabulous laptop. Enjoy.
This is how Jeff would proceed next.
Search for 6 months every big box store/website/newspaper for the best deal. Also survey every single person we know who has knowledge of computers and get their 237 opinions. Research again. Start surveying complete strangers on the street and ask them their opinions.
Finally find a a guy he knows through Maria's cousins' great uncles' dog breeder that says he can get a laptop for $23.00. Find out his "connection" is a dud and has been dead for 14 years.
Start researching again because by now computers are the size of a quarter and you can have them screwed into your frontal lobe.

So, no, I have not a laptop yet.

In other news:
Zach is still in swim classes and is doing wonderfully. He moved up another level and is now a "duck". This is the third level he's been in. At home, he swims across the pool, jumps off the diving board and is generally part fish. It's really amazing! Dylan wears swimmies (water wings) and in the spa, jumps from one end to the other floating through the middle. He loves it! Trevor doesn't love the swimmies and prefers to just stand in the spa and play with buckets.

We had the stomach bug go through our house last week. Zach and Dylan somehow escaped it (thank goodness!). I lost 4 pounds! Yay! Bright side of everything! Poor Trevor pooped water for 3 days and I went through about 50 diapers in a day and a half. He gets horrendous diaper rash on a good day. His poop must be 50% acid or plutonium or kryptonite...who knows. But, if he poops, I must change him within 10 minutes or his skin sloughs off and seeps. And it's horribly painful for him. Needless to say, every time he uncontrollably squirted, his dipe was changed. Nothing else I could do. He also threw up for about 5-6 days and was on Zofran. It's no wonder Jeff and I got the bug too, considering we were covered in poop and vomit for almost a week. All is better now.

Zach started Pre-K a week ago at the same preschool he's been going to. He loves the "big kid's class" and likes the work he's doing. Every Monday he gets a homework packet sent home and Friday he's to turn it in. It's matching, tracing letters, his name, coloring shapes, etc.
A while back he started saying, "What the heck?" to which I scolded him on and told him to say, "What in the world?" instead. Well, last week he said, "What the...." and Dylan squeaked out, "Heck!" Greeeeaaaaat. Already egging each other on. I guess it could be worse. Much worse.

The twins are talking so much now, it's unbelievable. I'm very excited that Trevor has finally learned how to say "Yes" and use it in context. So much better than "NO!" all.the.time.
Trevor's new favorite word is "french fries". Dylan calls drumsticks and ribs and wings "bones".
I'm trying to work on their colors with them but it certainly is harder to carve out time with three boys running around. They all love to be naked. They'll be naked this afternoon, I'm sure. Dylan will grab his clothes or diaper and say "Nek". Trevor will say "Off". Zach just rips his clothes off. Lol.

Jeff told me last week that with his work schedule and store openings coming up he won't be here for Halloween. Oh, and late November through the first of January he'll be near Sacramento the whole time. So this means I'll be alone for every.single.freakin.holiday. So will the boys, obviously. I'm trying not to think about it yet, hoping things will get pushed back or something. I will probably have an ulcer by Christmas Eve, though. Getting everything ready is one thing. I usually do all the wrapping, shopping, decorating anyway. But now I'll have to do all the traditions? The remembering? Cross all the T's, dot all the I's...alone!?!? I don't know how I'll do it all and it's a real bummer for me but more so for the boys. I hate Jeff's job. Truly, I do.

Ok, Debbie Downer, what else?
Oh, did I tell you the time when I took everyone to Zach's swim lesson? I was talking to another mom, when suddenly Dylan walks up, pokes her in the boob and says, "Mommy. Boobies. Two!" Thank goodness the other mom laughed it off and thought it was adorable.

Alright, that's it for now. Will update again soon!

Like a drill into my skull...

2011-08-31T10:33:00.001-07:00

All.day.Long.

YouTube Video

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Ventura County Fair AKA I Need to Refinance My House So I Can Take My Kids to the Fair

2011-08-17T13:23:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago, we decided to take the kids to the Ventura County Fair. I wanted to go on Friday to avoid the weekend crowds. (I hate doing anything with the kids on the weekends). Jeff called me at work on Thursday and said he got a "campsite" at Ventura RV Park and we could go Thursday night, coming home on Saturday. I use the term campsite loosely. It's really a pull through spot, with a swath of grass and a fire ring. There are amenities, like a pool, a laundromat, a store with soft serve cones and coffee, a playground and bike rentals. I'm not complaining about the place but I didn't want you to think I was digging a hole to poop in.
The RV park is about a 5 mile car ride to the fairgrounds, so the location was perfect. We also hadn't camped this year and I was slightly nervous about it with the 3 crazy badgers...ahem...children.
So, we get there Thursday night at about 8:30pm. Yes, this means we have to pull in, set up and get the kids organized in the dark. Not ideal but it worked out. The kids went to bed at about 11:00 (!!!!!) and they still managed to wake up at 7:15. Grrrrr...I guess I have to wait until they're teenagers for them to sleep in.
So, we head to fair at 10:45 which is perfect because it opens at 11:00. Upon entry, there's the "Children's Dell", which has rides suitable for the 3-8 set. Turns out, Zach loves rides. And when I say loves them, I mean there wasn't a ride he didn't want to go on! So, we buy our 30 tickets for $20, figuring that should do it.
Well...
We were wrong.
Now, I don't remember the fair costing me an arm and a leg when I was a kid/teen. Maybe I was disillusioned because my parents gave me the money, but I also don't remember them complaining about the cost. Also, the rides would cost say, 2 or 3 tickets. Welcome to the present.
Each ride took 3, 4,5 and sometimes 6 tickets! Single tickets cost .75, so some rides would be upwards of $4.50 each!
We didn't expect that.
The other thing we didn't expect was that the twins have suddenly decided to have an opinion and they want to do everything big brother does. Which means instead of a ride costing us $4, it costs us $12! If a parent had to ride, it was $16! $16 for 3 minutes of smiles and exhilaration???
Soooooo...
$75 later for ride tickets (yes, it WAS just like the walk of shame to the ATM in Vegas, except this was to the ticket booth) we had 3 happy kids, one of whom only talked about going on more rides. Luckily we had free tickets to enter the fair courtesy of a hookup through Jeff's work, so it made it hurt a little less. We went to the normal ride section where they have the games, too. Zach went on a few over there and they all played ring toss. Alas, we did not go home with the giant stuffed bear made in China full of asbestos or whatever else they put in their children's playthings.
We ate some lunch, BBQ for us and hotdogs for the kids. The kids were getting tired so we headed back to our trailer for naps. We went back to the fair around 6:30 (they all slept late, including Jeff), and did the animal/livestock area. My favorite part is looking at and petting all the goats, sheep, bunnies, horses, etc. It's always been my favorite. Thankfully, the kids all like animals, too. Trevor says "an-i-mols!" Very cute.
We were walking around and the crowds were there along with the seedy kind of people I knew we'd avoid by coming in the daytime. We went back to the big ride area, used up the few remaining tickets and decided to head out. Well...we got all turned around and suddenly we are in the center of a huge crowd of 16-22 year olds. Like, we couldn't move. At all. Just a sea of people. Then the sweet scent of marijuana wafted by. I tell Jeff, "we gotta get outta here before the kids get a contact high!" A guy backs into the stroller, almost falling on Trevor. I push him back (Mama bear came out). As this is happening, some 16 year old girl grabs Jeff and says in his ear, "You guys need to get out of here...this isn't a good place to be". Thanks, darlin'. We are so on the same page as you...we just need a path! Finally Jeff leads the way and the stoned crowd parts like the Red Sea. Hallelujah! We made it.
The next day, we parked our trailer at the beach and played all day. We left around 3, I think. We got home and I ran to the market and Costco because we were hosting poker and about 22 people were coming over at 7:00. So typical of us, trying to cram 3 days of things into one.
Onto the pictures:
Zach on the slide

Zach and I on the big ferris wheel. I'm not afraid of heights but I couldn't stop imagining Zach falling over the edge and smacking into the ground.

Trevor and Dylan on the ferris wheel

This huge spiral slide that Zach was about 1/2 an inch too short to go on but they let him go anyway. This was in the normal ride section. The operator asked me, "he's not scared?" As I looked up and saw him running to the top I said, Guess not!"

Trevor and Dylan...I swear Dylan enjoyed this.

The even bigger super slide...again, not an ounce of fear

It was foggy and a little chilly, which is crazy because it was almost 100 degrees at our house. Ventura is only a 50 minute drive.

Hmmmmm....I wonder if I should dig in the sand or climb rocks first....decisions, decisions...

Jeff and Dylan

Not sure who this big kid is but he sure looks like my little boy Zachary...

Mama, boat!!

Monkey(s) see, monkey(s) do

Very proud of himself for climbing to the top

Peek a Boo! I see you behind that rock!

I looked so great in this picture I just had to include it. (Note the sarcasm dripping off every word)

It was super fun but OMG it's exhausting with these three. Jeff and I keep saying, "One more year, it'll be so much easier, just one more year..."

Trevor and Dylan Turn 2!

2011-07-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

What a great birthday weekend we all had!
I must admit, I was very unorganized with the party plans this time around. July kind of snuck up on me this year. I usually get the birthday invites out 5 weeks in advance because most of our friends are "restaurant people" and they make their schedules a month in advance. Well, 2 weeks before their birthday and I realized I was WAAAYYY behind the 8 ball and needed to get party planning under way.
I was also trying to keep the party small, but that just never seems to happen at the Press house.
So, rewind to last Thursday. It's 11:00pm. I'm watching a DVR'd House Hunters, eating peanuts and drinking cabernet, 'cause I'm super classy like that. I hear Jeff at the front door fumbling with the keys and I jump up to unlock it so the dog doesn't bark his head off and wake the kids. I let him in and I notice he's wheeling in a suitcase. Not really a strange occurrence because he often takes a bag with him in case he stays the night somewhere.
I'm almost back to the comfort of my recliner, which is now covered in peanuts dust when I realize Jeff isn't alone...
My Aunt Tina from Michigan surprised me and flew in for the twins birthday! OMG, what a surprise it was! I think for 20 minutes I was saying, "I can't believe you're here, I can't believe you're standing in front of me!"
Jeff was the only one that knew she was coming. Apparently, she called him on Wednesday and when he picked up the phone, he said, "When am I picking you up from the airport?" She says, "Funny you should ask..."
So, the next day my parents were coming, but they never get here until close to dinner. So I called at 8am and said, "I need a favor. Jeff was supposed to be off today and Saturday, but he got called in and has to work. He'll be home just in time for the party and I need help! I don't have a thing done! Can you come ASAP?"
My mom said they'd get here as soon as they could. So, in the meantime, my Aunt and I went to Costco, Party City, the grocery store and the cake store to get all the supplies. We also managed to stop in at Chili's and grab lunch and a Presidente (or two...).
Jeff texts me that my folks have arrived at our house, so we head home.
I walk in and see my parents and say, "You guys are NEVER gonna guess what I found at the cake store!" I go out the front door and in walks Aunt Tina! My mom's mouth was a perfect circle and I now know what I looked like the night before. They couldn't believe it!
So, the next day was the party. Everyone was a HUGE help and I know both my Mom and Aunt are tired of washing my dishes. I can wreck a kitchen in about 4.8 seconds.
My dad was vacuuming, my mom was cutting fruit, my Aunt was playing with the kids and washing the dishes and I was making the cake. We also took Zach to gymnastics that morning and he had the largest cheering section, for sure!
The party was great! I tried to keep it simple and it seems to be a challenge for us. But, we did it. I decided not to have the kids open their birthday presents that day and it was the best.decision.ever. I thought, "It's such a nice party, let's not ruin it."
Sure enough, gift opening the next day was pretty stressful. At least for me. I think my coffee was taking it's sweet time to get into my bloodstream.
Here are some pics:
Dylan cooling off in the pool

Trevor and Jeff

Trevor not looking too happy about something

Zachary making up for it in the happy department

And now, for the cake. People thought it was my best one ever and I may have to agree with them, (because I'm super modest and humble). Also, I didn't make a practice cake, I just went for it. It took me about 40 minutes to decorate. Those aren't individual balls (some people think that's what they are). They're individual stars from a icing tip.

Family portrait

Trevor really just wanted the sprinkles, which is unusual because he does love his sweets
Zachary helped blow out the candles

See what I mean about the sprinkles? Screw the cake! And the fork. And the plate. And the chair, even.

At least he had a beer to wash it down with

Dylan wanting to get down

After all the guests left and the kids were in bed, the family and our friend, Krista hung out and drank wine and BS'd for a while.

Me and my mom

Me and my dad, who still hasn't learned to smile nicely for pictures. He looks like he's channeling Mr. Ed. Oh, and this was the best pic out of 4.

Me and Aunt Tina

Me and Krista.

Apparently I was a camera whore that evening

The next morning, presents!

A few final shots before Aunt Tina had to fly back home (sniff, sniff)

It was the first time she'd met the twins and the last time she saw Zach he was 18 months old!

We got every one smiling by having Jeff throw water on his head (a trick I learned when I was taking their birthday party invite picture)

Nana and Papa and their grandkids

Annnnd the best picture of the 7 of us. 5 were taken...

Great visit. Great party. Great birthday.

Summer Dry Spell

2011-07-19T21:33:00.000-07:00

So where in the world is Jenn?
I'm here, folks. Sorry it's been so long. I'm going to blame summer. Usually the kids bedtime is 8:00. However, with the days so long, we can usually be found outside playing or swimming, until I suddenly realize it's 6:30 and I haven't fed these little animals! Needless to say, bedtime has been later...more like 8:45/9:00. I then only have about an hour of time to fold some clothes, watch a DVR'd show or two (best invention EVER by the way) and then it's off to bed for me.
Also, not too much has been going on.
Jeff's schedule for the month of July has normalized a bit, so he's been home in time to see the kids at night and he's even been home on the weekends! What?! Days off?? I know, it's very strange.
So here's a little update on the kiddos.
Dylan is still my breather. Usually his asthma flares up with a cold. 2 weeks ago he decided that waiting for a cold to happen was particularly boring so he just had an asthma attack without any warning. Greeeeeeaaaat. I couldn't get it under control, which means a trip to the Doc so I could get some Prednisone into him. It did the trick, but I need to take him back to the pulmonologist to get him on some daily preventive med, like Singulair or something. I used to decorate with candles or a pretty vase....now I have the exotic nebulizer on display on the end table at all times. Whatev.
Other than that, he's been talking up a storm, repeating things pretty articulately. It's adorable, I'm not going to lie. Zach taught him how to say, "I am mad!" and at the end he's clenches his fists and does his mean face and growls. It's a hoot.
He had his first haircut a few weeks ago. I gave up hoping his fine blond locks would curl into pretty ringlets like Zach's did...it was looking quite mullet-ish. He did well because I bribed him with a lollipop.
His favorite new game is to slide his hands up my shorts or my dress and grab my butt. He usually loves to do this when I'm cooking or washing dishes AND when his hands are ice cold. Good thing I wear underwear (most of the time), just sayin'.

Trevor has finally calmed down his inner beast and has become very sweet. He hasn't smacked me in the face or ripped the hair out of my head in quite a while. I know, charming, right? He's been a lot more cuddly and his favorite (mine too) time is right before bed I gather all three boys on my lap in the twins room and sing songs to them. Sweet souls, they haven't yet realized that mommy can't carry a tune. Among my catalog of songs is "You Are My Sunshine", "There Was an Old Lady" and "On Top of Spaghetti".
The other thing about Trevor is...this is going to sound weird...
He's sexy. I know it's slightly creepy to call my 2 year old "sexy", but it's true. He's got these beautiful big eyes and this smile...oh, his smile is something else. And he knows how to work it. Mark my words, when he's 17, I'm going to have to beat the girls away with a stick. Or my shoe. Or my pot of boiling water.
He's also been talking a lot more, albeit some of it only I understand. Not quite as articulate as his brother, but you figure it out pretty quickly.
Their 2 year birthday is this Friday! How did this happen?? I swear, I hardly remember the first year. I'm not kidding. Such a far cry from Zachary's first few years where my mommy brain hadn't overtaken everything.

Zachary is really amazing. He helps me a lot, fetching things for me, picking up toys at the end of the night, etc. He doesn't need reining in as much, however he does need to be reminded to not touch everything in sight. He'll hold his brothers hands on a walk, he's protective of them. When I pick up Zach at preschool, sometimes I let the twins hang out for 15 minutes or so and play with the other kids. Zach is always telling his friends, "These are MY brothers." Every night I put the twins to bed and Zach stops by each crib, blows them a kiss and says, "Night night, Dylan. I hope I see you in the morning." He's trying to say, "I'll see you in the morning" but I don't correct him. It's his little routine.
Zach is taking swim lessons once a week. I started him about 5 weeks ago and WOW he's doing great! It wasn't just an activity for him. We have a pool, so for me it was all about him being safe in the water. He's already moved up from Blowfish to Bat Ray. At home, his confidence is soaring! He jumps off the diving board and swims to the side. He's dog paddling and swimming under water. I've been really impressed. Oh, and he LOVES it! I wish I could do the twins, too but it's just not in the budget. Maybe next year.
He also takes gymnastics on Saturday mornings. He loves that, too. It's so much better than karate for him. He zip lines into a big foam pit, he bounces on a runway style trampoline, he works on the balance beam and the bars. It's great. He gets those wiggles out and it's fabulous.
He starts Pre-K soon at the same preschool he's been attending. I'm excited to see how this year goes with the larger amount of academics. He's tracing letters and trying to write on his own. I got him a workbook suitable for his age and we try and do 15 minutes a day, although sometimes it doesn't happen because I forget. I got it at Costco if you're interested for your kids. They have different ones for different ages.
I got his daily schedule for the upcoming year and he'll have a homework packet given to him on Monday to be turned in on Friday. I'm not gonna lie, I got a little weepy when I saw that. Homework packets?? I just got him to keep his burps in his mouth! And I still wipe his booty after he poops! Yikes. Where is this time going!?

Anyway, these ages have been really fun lately. The twins are getting it, Zach is growing up and they all still sleep well. It's busy, of course, but oh so fun.
I'm going to digress here, but for the first time I got annoyed by some comments this past weekend. I usually don't let these things bug me but for some reason they got to me. I was doing my usual running around with the kids out somewhere. For several hours, people watched me. I could feel it. At the end of the day, several people said to me, "You have your hands full! Do you ever sit down?! I'm exhausted watching you!"
Let me clear something up.
Yep, hands are full. Obviously. Better full than empty, I say.
No, I do not ever sit down. Seriously. If we go somewhere, I expect I'm not going to eat. Even if if it's a party with catered prime rib and crab legs. It's a bonus if I get to.
You're exhausted watching me??
How about offering to watch a kid for me for 5 minutes so I can get that prime rib. Or pee. Or find someone's shoe?
That would be super.
Thanks.
Ok, mini-vent over.
I'm now past my hour window of time and there are dishes still in the sink. I, however am going to sit my boot-ay down with a glass of cab, eat a bowl of Cheerios (because I didn't eat dinner, again) and watch a DVR'd House Hunters.
Good night, blogworld.

Where in the World is Jeff Press?

2011-06-28T13:41:00.000-07:00

That's what I'd like to know as well!
For those of you who don't know (I have no idea who that would be), Jeff left Chili's in February after 22 years. It was a big shock to a lot of people but it wasn't to us. There was a lot of thought put into the change and all in all, it was a good decision.
Quickly after that, he got hired by Freebirds. They are based in Texas and are just coming out to California. Think Chipotle but hipper and more urban. He's hoping to reap the benefits of joining the company as they get out of the start gate.
Well...
there is such a thing called a Freebirds Widow.
I didn't coin the phrase, a friend's wife did. (Give credit where credit is due).
He's working 100+ hours a week. How does he do that? I have no idea.
I will say as of last weekend until the end of the month, he has a more normal schedule...like...he'll see his kids and get a day off. But after that, another new store opens and the 100 hour work weeks start all over again.
He had to resort to doing Facetime (video-chat) with the kids just so he could see them.
It's been hard, I'm not going to lie.
Truthfully, I'm ok, I've got it handled. The kids, however miss the skittles out of him. For a while, as soon as Zach woke up in the morning, his first words were, "Is my Daddy here?"
That of course would break my heart. Trevor does it now. As soon as I walk into his room, he says, "Da-deeee? Da-deeeee?" over and over again. (Trevor is a daddy's boy, while I lay claim to Dylan.)
The reason I'm handling it all pretty well is because I have a list of amazing babysitters. Without these people I would have lost it.
Kristen watches the kids when I work. Tuesdays she watches the twins, Zach goes to preschool and Thursday she watches all three. She was my friend first, so I always feel weird calling her my babysitter. She's waaaaay more than that. I usually say, "Oh, Kristen babysits, well she's my friend first, she happens to watch my kids, too." She's awesome and parents the same way I do, so I don't have to give her instructions or anything. She doesn't let them watch TV, she takes a walk with them, she disciplines like I do...I couldn't be more fortunate.
Then there's her daughter Lauren. She's 17 and just graduated from high school. She's fabulous and can handle all three on her own.
I also use the two girls down the street, Claire 15 and Natalie 12. I will often have Nat come over and watch the twins for an hour so I can take Zach to his swim class. I can do it with all three but it's hectic and if they start screaming (heh heh heh...IF they start screaming...sooooo funny...) it really distracts the other parents and I can't concentrate on what Zach is doing.
They'll watch the kids other times, too. As a matter of fact, I took Natalie with me and the kids to the beach with me last week. I bought her lunch and and ice cream and she got to go to the beach! It worked out perfectly! They each can watch all three on their own, too.
Twelve might seem young to watch three kids by yourself but I have to say the kids are pretty good. Mostly you just have to watch to make sure no one gets hurt. They're also on a great schedule and that's my only saving grace. I know, as do the babysitters that my kids will go to bed at 8/8:15, they won't scream longer than a minute (if at all) when we walk out the door and that they'll be pretty good kids. The great thing about Claire and Natalie (Natalie, more so) is that they're young enough where they don't drive and don't have a huge social life yet! Lol!
That translates to more babysitter availability for me!
A mom and her two 20-something daughters also sit for us occasionally and they are great! They are seriously experienced with kids and I know the kids are in great hands.
There are a few others on my list but the ones I've mentioned are the main ones.
So you see, I have a lot of help.
I joke that lately I'm like a single parent without the benefits because I still have to wash Jeff's underwear. It's the truth.
Then if one day he gets to come home and hour before the kids go to bed, he messes up my schedule and everything goes out the window. Like, having a wrestling match 10 minutes before bedtime...that can really mess up "wind- down- time".

I know my limitations, certainly. I would like to be super woman and do it all, but I can't.

For example, I can take them to the park by myself. I just have to pick and choose which park. I go to the one that doesn't have too many corners or "behind me" areas. Also, the swings have to be far enough away from the playground equipment so if a twin goes towards a swing in motion, I'll have enough time to scoop him up before he gets a kick in the face.

I can't take all three to the beach alone because if Zach has to poop, we're in big trouble. Besides, the getting to and from the car to the shore is tricky without another set of hands.

I can take all three to the store, or the mall, or the zoo (see: wide open spaces).

I can't take them to a children's museum. Too many corners.

Anyway, the point of this whole post is that without my fabulous babysitters, I'd be nothing. I'd be 100% gray or I'd be rocking myself in a dark closet humming a song from Yo Gabba Gabba.
So, thank you to my friends/sitters/neighbors who keep me out of the insane asylum.

Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary...

2011-06-09T16:58:00.001-07:00

How does your garden grow?
Zach and I started our first veggie garden this spring. I've been wanting to have a garden for several years now and finally got my act together and did it.
We have strawberries, watermelon, green peppers, cucumbers, lettuce (stupid cabbage worms had a feast and I finally was able to kill the little bastards), carrots and tomatoes. The tomatoes, cucumbers, strawberries and carrots are flourishing, the others not so much.
Today, I pulled a carrot up to see how big they're getting and this one was small but ready!

Zach also loved eating a ripe strawberry

YouTube Video

Zach is so excited to check his garden everyday, he may even try a tomato when they're ready!
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He's Got Some Vocal Skillz, Y'all

2011-06-02T19:59:00.001-07:00

Now don't freak out that I was taking a video of my kid while I was driving. I can hold my phone like a mirror and do it without looking.

YouTube Video

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Wagon Vs. Dylan

2011-05-24T14:35:00.000-07:00

In this corner, red, a gift from Nana and Papa, weighing in at 3 lbs.,

The wagon/ride on toy from Radio Flyer!!

And in this corner, one of the sweetest faces you've ever seen, weighing in at 25 lbs.,

Dylan Stuart Press!!

Give you two guesses who won the fight...

Last Thursday, I was out front with the kids, talking to my neighbor. Ed and I both looked over at the driveway, just in time to see Dylan careening down the driveway on this toy.

He probably felt like this:

He hit the sidewalk and went ass-over applecart onto the rough, rocky street. He didn't make a sound at first and I had one of those moments, "Maybe it isn't too bad..."

The he started screaming. I picked him up and his face was covered in blood. I quickly assessed the situation, teeth still there, no holes in lip...ok, he'll be fine.

It was pretty awful for 25 minutes or so.

Then the kid ate pizza.

The scabs are already starting to fall off. This was taken the next day after the accident.

Zach's 4th Birthday

2011-05-23T13:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, we celebrated Zach's 4th birthday. I have no idea where the time has gone and I'm sad that so many moments have flown by with him. At the same time, I'm so excited to see what he'll do next and what this next year will bring.
He's a busy guy, that's for sure. He always has been and I should've kknown what was in store for us when he was running by 11 months! He's very active, loves anything that has to do with jumping, climbing, running, somersaulting, etc. He's very smart and picks up on things very quickly. He's not reading or writing by any means but I also don't have a ton of time to work one on one with him...his brothers do their best to wrestle for attention all.the.time.
It's just the way it is. I don't worry about that stuff, though. He's in preschool 3 days a week and he learns a ton there, so I just try and do my best.
His favorites these days are:
arts and crafts
bugs (but not mosquito eaters...like his Mom, he's not a big fan)
dinosaurs
the swings at the park
pizza, as long as it's only cheese
crunchy vegetables (Like spinach leaves...go figure)
riding his bike
playing with bubbles
amusement park rides
playing with my Iphone, particularly Apps like Angry Birds and Ramps
The Falling Down Show AKA America's Funniest Videos
Still a big fan of Toy Story but he's also into The Little Mermaid and Tangled lately

As much of a boy as he is, he still surprises me sometimes with the affection and love he shows for his brothers. Don't get me wrong, one minute he's hugging on them, telling them he loves them and the next minute he's shoving them off the recliner because it's his chair.
One day, I was carrying Trevor (AKA The Beast) to the car. The flailing began and as I was putting him into his carseat, he flung his head backward and hit me in the head against my sunglasses. He must've gotten the perfect sensitive spot because I promptly burst into tears. Now, I also think I was PMS-ing and the ol' hormones were a little kooky-crazy but whatever. There I am sobbing and Zach says to me, "Mommy! What's wrong?? What happened?!"
I squeaked out between sobs that Trevor's head hit mine on accident. He says, "Oh no, can I come over there and give you a hug?" He runs over, gives me a hug and runs back to his side of the car. Those moments make me think there are just some things you can't teach, they're just inherent.
On the flipside...
he's stubborn as all get out.
Sometimes he's rude. He backtalks and questions me and he said a very bad word several weeks ago in front of my friend/babysitter. He also used it in context.
Greaaaaaaat.
He has the attention span of a gnat somtimes and dinner time is my least favorite time of the day because he takes forever to eat and the comment when coming to the table is, "Ugh, I don't like that." To which I say, "Thank you mommy for cooking a yummy meal for me!"
I gave him his first real spanking the other day because he was encouraging his brother to do the exact opposite of what I'd just said. It was just two whacks on his naked bootie (it was right after bathtime). I put him in his room and he cried and carried on for a while and after 15 minutes or so I went in and explained that that was a spanking and that's a big deal. I don't want to have to do it again. Blah, blah, blah... I also made it clear that I'm pretty much a single parent most of the time and it's hard enough for Mommy, I need you to help me and be responsible and not make it more difficult.
So you see, one minute I'm getting consoled by my 4-year old and the next minute I'm spanking his ass.
Kids.

His birthday party was at a karate studio. About 6 months ago, we won a free birthday party and a free month of karate at this fundraiser. I've been wanting to get him involved in an activity but I really didn't think he was ready for karate. The focusing and following directions were going to be tough. However, I wanted to use this FREE birthday party thing. So, I started taking him to karate. I wanted to make sure he liked it before booking his party there. Kids birthday parties run about $250-$500 here and I'm a cheap bastard and really didn't want to do that. Plus, we really didn't want to have it at the house...too much work. Jeff and I were in total agreement on that one. So, I started taking him to classes and yes, he was the kid bouncing in place and making faces in the mirror while the other kids were focusing and following directions.
He did kind of enjoy it so we booked the party. It was great! The Sensais (I know I spelled that wrong...the karate instructors) held court for about 45 minutes and ran them through obstacle courses and punching and kicking and they really kept them entertained and engaged. While the kids did that, the adults ate food. I made some fruit trays and spinach dip as well as some antipasta salad and mostacolli from Maria's. When the kids were done, they ate pizza, we did cake and opened up gifts. The opening of the gifts...yikes. I don't think I'll do that again unless we're at our own home. Imagine being an open can of soda sitting on an anthill. I was the soda.
It was mayhem. I was trying to keep a list for thank you's, people were trying to talk to me, other kids were opening Zach's presents (I know, where the heck were those kids parents?)
Aside from the gift chaos, it was a great party and I had a GREAT BIG glass of wine when I got home.
Here's a slideshow:

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Hippity Hoppity

2011-05-04T14:00:00.000-07:00

Here's a synopsis of our Easter.

We dyed eggs

We went to the park for an Easter Egg Hunt

During the hunt, we only lost one child for about 45 seconds. Not too shabby.

Easter morning, the kids found their baskets

We had an Easter Egg Hunt outside

The kids ate an enormous amount of chocolate

That's it in a nutshell. I took Zach to see Rio that night, too. We ate Macaroni and Cheese and didn't go to church.

The end.

Enjoy some pictures.

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Never Said I Was a Hairdresser

2011-04-18T22:03:00.001-07:00

Ohhhhh wow, did I screw up.
I've given Trevor a haircut once before. I'd let his hair grow far too long, so long in fact he had a serious trucker-white-trash mullet. In my defense, I really wanted to see if his hair would become the curly goldilocks that Zachary had. Well, it didn't. Straight as an arrow.
So, I'd finally hacked off his mullet. And it looked just fine.
Fast forward to the other night. His bangs were quite long so I thought I'd just give him an itty-bitty trim.
One swipe with the scissors and BAM I knew I'd really messed up. Big time. So, I sat back and looked at it from different angles, hoping it would look better if I looked away for a second.
It didn't.

So, I lost sleep that night thinking about how my son looked like an Amish boy. Or Jim Carrey from Dumb and Dumber. My friend, Kristen gave me that image.
The next morning, I took the kids down to a kids haircut place that I'd never been to. The place was awesome! They had a play area in the back and 5-6 video games that you could play for free. I'll definitely take the kids back there because you know I've given up any dream of being that mom who cuts my kids hair inbetween making dinner and washing clothes. Nope. Not for me.
Of course, the best part of this place was they fixed Trevor's hair. It's not exactly how I would have had his hair cut had he had a full head of hair to work with. However, it turned out fabulous and I'm super indebted to the chick that fixed my baby.

My Funny Dylan

2011-04-09T16:37:00.001-07:00

YouTube Video

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Friends, New and Old

2011-03-26T12:57:00.001-07:00

This past Tuesday, my friend from high school, Heather, came to visit with her two kids. Nikos is almost 4 and Olive is 2. She decided to take a little road trip (from Berkeley, about 5 hours away) to see me, some other friends of hers from college in LA and then on down to San Diego to see her sister-in-law. Heather loves to travel and having two young kids doesn't cramp her traveling style at all. She's pretty brave AND her kids are very good, which makes a winning combination.

In the afternoon we went out in the backyard for some bubble time and to play in the water table. So what that it was only 60 degrees. I have no idea what they were looking at but apparently it was fascinating.

After all the outdoor excitement and dinner, it was time for a bath. We thought we'd start with Nikos and Zach and then bathe the three little ones but Trevor and Dylan thought that was a poor decision and after several attempts trying to keep them out of the bath, we just threw them all in together.

What in the world are they all looking at???

Oh yeah, it was me standing on the bathroom counter trying to get them to look up

Pigs in a blanket

Nikos on the left, Zach on the right
TV time! Watching the "Falling Down Show" AKA America's Funniest Videos

The next morning, we went to Scooter's Jungle. This place can also be referred to as "Crack Cocaine for Children". Free play hours are infrequent, so I've never gone. It's only open from 10:30 to 12, maybe 2 days a week. They have huge inflatable slides, a zip line, air hockey, a bunch of toys for the one and under set, bounce houses, inflatable obstacle courses. They even have a room with it's own door...it's about 7 feet by 6 feet, with a ton of bouncy balls that you just throw around and watch them ricochet everywhere. Everyone had a blast! I didn't get a single picture because, well, we had 5 kids to watch and it was crazy. It was pretty crowded (must've been because of the rainy weather) so they opened up a second room which helped with crowd control. At one point, I generously offered to take the two older boys to the new room and Heather could stay with the three little ones. A while later I decided I should switch with her and her eyes had a glazed look to them. She said, "OMG, I'm stressing out watching these 3! Yours are all over the place! They climb on tables, they're everywhere! Olive just sits quietly and plays!!"

Welcome to my life, Heather. You think I was joking about them being crazy monkeys? Hee hee.

I have to tell you this story. There was this other mom there who had 3 year old boy twins. OMG, they were monsters. Their names were Diesel and something else. It really doesn't matter...when you hear "Diesel" your brain just stops while it processes that someone would name their sweet baby after gasoline. She was the stereotypical Valencia Mom...well, there's several types here but this is one. She had on a Juicy-type track suit, she had on enough make up that she wouldn't have to touch it up if she were going out to the bars later that night, she had fake boobies and she drove a Lexus SUV. Anyway, we swap pleasantries, we compare war stories about having twins and that's when I realize...she's cuckoo. She kept wanting to talk and talk and talk and I'm thinking, "Lady, I have a lot of kids here to watch! Go away!!"

At the end of the day, we're all getting our shoes on and she stalks me again and wants to exchange phone numbers so we can get together for a play date because "we both have boys and they can all be crazy together". Ummmm...no thank you. I really don't want my kids to learn anything from yours, thankyouverymuch.

Somehow I had enough foresight to get her number (so I can lose it) and I didn't give her mine. Thank God.

Oh, another story, Heather thought it was really funny that her car was the only vehicle in the parking lot that wasn't an SUV. Welcome to Valencia.

That afternoon, after naps, I set out some arts and crafts for Zach and Nikos. Here they are showing off their foam bracelets they made.

The arts and crafts got pretty creative

That night, Heather and I went out to meet some other friends from high school. Tsan and Fergal live in Sacramento and Irene and her son Kingston live here in Venice. I don't have any pics of that night on this camera. I'll try and DL the ones from my phone. We had a great time! It never seems like any time passes with these people...we always just pick right up where we left off. I love my high school friends! Such a great group of people!

Jeff watched the 5 kids that night and everything went off without a hitch...except for the popcorn and water experiment in the car table (both big boys got a time out for that one) and the Vaseline all over my recliner. Jeff couldn't figure out who the culprit was for that one. Oh, and then while he was brushing Olive's teeth, the four boys decided to throw gobs of toilet paper in the toilet and throw soap bubbles all over the mirror. Not bad for a man alone with 5 kids under 4.

I had such a great time with Heather. Even thought it was very loud, a little chaotic and a pretty big mess much of the time, it was super fun. I wish it was longer!

Gross! Not the Way I Wanted My Evening to End

2011-03-10T21:07:00.001-08:00

Oh what a night.
Some may wonder how I bathe three kids at the same time.
Some may wonder how I get three naked little bodies into jammies afterward.
The answer:
Not.Very.Well.
All three are out of the tub. Zach is getting his Pull Up on and his jammies because he's my big boy and can do this by himself. I'm getting Dylan's jammies on in the hallway while he grabs my arm and does fart noises into it...of course sending both of us into giggles. Trevor is still naked and is playing in Zach's room...when...all of a sudden...
I hear grunting.
Yep, THAT kind of grunting.
Now, you'd think I'd stop what I was doing with Dylan to attend to Trevor's guttural grunting, but no. I had a severe lapse in judgement and continued to let Dylan make his fart noises. I get him all jammied up when I suddenly smell the distinct odor of poop.
I think to myself, "Oh, it's probably just rabbit turd poop...easily picked up off the carpet".
About a minute later (seriously, that's all it was), I crawl over to Zach's bedroom door to see Trevor, naked...
and covered in shit.
As is the carpet.
Apparently, I was oh so very wrong. These were not rabbit turds.
This was an Oh.My.God. kinda poop with (TMI approaching) pieces of food in it.
Annnnnnnndddddd....
he decided to dance in it and smush it into the carpet so badly I thought I'd never get it out.
Poor Zach. All he heard was:
"Oh shit!! Oh shit!! OMG! Oh shit!!"
(Literally)
Me: ZACH!!! I need your help! Get Dylan out of here! Grab his hand and take him to play in the playroom! And get me wipies!! ANd take Dylan!! and I need wipes!!!"
Zach dutifully takes Dylan and leads him away before he decided to have a dance party in poop, too. I'm holding a naked, poop covered Trevor up in the air away from me, not sure what to do.
Moments later, Zach brings me a wipe.
As in, ONE wipe.
Me: Zachary, this isn't going to cut it. I need THE WHOLE BAG!!!! PLEASE HURRY!!"
He brings me the bag, I get the chunks off Trevor, and then proceed to drop him in the bath for tubtime #2.
Soap him up, get him dry, jammied up. I get the bottles ready. And then I notice the crap HANGING off my arm.
I almost dry heaved.
I then plopped the kids in front of the TV with their milk and proceeded to spend the next 25 minutes cleaning the carpet. I'm sure it needs more work, but I couldn't do anymore. I tweaked my back/neck yesterday pretty badly, so this was NOT the chore I had hoped to do...of all nights.
Moral of the story:
If you hear grunting, drop whatever you're doing and see what the heck is going on. Even if it means leaving the other kid naked, chances are he'll just pee ont he carpet. WAAAAAY easier to clean then smushed in poop.
Also, even if they are being adorable and making fart noises and giggling....GET THEIR BOOTIES COVERED!!!
Nasty.

Anyway, here are some pics of the kids.
Trevor hitting LOTS of buttons on Daddy's laptop

These were taken about 4-6 weeks ago at the park
Dylan, showing off how big his mouth is

Zach...or some really big, amazing kid that resembles Zach. He's getting so big and is such a great helper to me. I feel like he's still a little guy and then I see pics like these...where does the time go?? *sniff*

I wish this pic was better, I tried to lighten it up...Dylan has the best smile here...they were both jumping like monkeys in a cage....which isn't too far from the truth

Pure bliss! Trevor looooooves the swings

Hey handsome

Who designs these things??

2011-03-05T15:36:00.000-08:00

YouTube Video

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

18 Months Already!

2011-02-20T13:29:00.000-08:00

I took the twins in for their 18 month well baby check up last week.
Their stats are:

Dylan:
Height: 32 inches (33%tile)
Weight: 24lbs 10oz. (28th%tile)
Head: 19 inches (59%tile)

Trevor:
Height: 32 3/4 inches (55%tile)
Weight: 25lbs 3oz. (36%tile)
Head: 19 inches (59%tile)

Overall they're doing great. They both got one vaccine, I don't remember which one. They're both behind with their shots because I like to give them one at a time (unless it's a combined vaccine) and I don't like to vaccinate when they're sick, which is often. But we are catching up, so that makes me feel better.
They both seem to be pretty average for the milestones, so I don't think the preemie factor is a factor anymore, which is also great.
A few details about each of them:
Trevor
He's a spaz. There, I said it. He hits. He scratches. He pulls hair. He rips anything off my head, ie. hats, sunglasses. I can't remember the last time I wore earrings, which is good because I'm sure by now I'd have two gaping holes in my ears. He screams the most satanic screams to get my attention. Oh, his new favorite trick is to throw his head backward and nail be in the jaw or chest. He throws his food. All.The.Time. I can't give him a bag or bowl of snacks because he just throws everything everywhere or will use both hands to spray said snacks from one side of the room to the other.
Yes, a lot of these little tricks he does drive me insane. I think for sure he's going to be THAT kid. My troublemaker.
He also climbs everything. He hasn't climbed out of his crib yet (thank God!!!) but I bet he'll be the first.
On the plus side...
he has the cutest grin, the best belly laugh and gorgeous eyes. They're getting greener by the minute and he usually gives me the sweetest look right before he smacks me in the face.
He's a great eater, loves chicken legs and wings (anything on the bone). He loves fruit, especially peaches and loves to walk around mowing his way through a whole piece of fruit. He knows where the junk snacks are kept (crackers, cookies, goldfish) and tries to pry open the cabinets to get to them. When the childproof latches prove to much for him, he likes to do that satanic scream and them throw himself onto the floor into a wailing tantrum. (Yep, super fun).
He uses a fork well.
He poops like a rock star.
He's had one haircut, which led to a second because I did it at home and he won't sit still. He had a fierce mullet going on. I wanted to see if it would start to curl like Zach's did, but it just kept getting more and more white trash so I finally had to do something.
Words are:
Drink
Dada
Mamma
JJ
Dylan
Yep
Treat
Tree
He loves TV and will pick up the remote and point it at the TV when he wants to watch it. No fave shows, just whatever Zach watches. I only turn it on when I really need to get something done, like, take a shower. Also right before bed when they have their bottles. (Yes, they still take bottles 3 times a day. Sippies throughout, though. Oh well.)
He loves, loves, loves the bathtub and starts pointing at it around 6pm every night. (Bathtime is at 7).
He understands everything I say, which is scary...he puts thing in the garbage when I ask him to, gets me his shoes when I ask, etc.
He's a good sleeper, but he's been waking up at 5:15 am some mornings...even breaking his record one day last week and wanted to start his day at 4:15am...NOT fun. Usually he sleeps until about 6:15/6:30. Bedtime is at 8pm on the dot.

Dylan
I'll just say it up front. He is a Mama's Boy. He's my cuddlebug. Wants to be held a lot. His voice is squeaky and has the cutest giggle ever. He takes a pacifier at naptime and bedtime and wants one in his mouth and one in each hand. He's good about giving them up to me when I ask, though. He gives kisses (big, open mouthed, wet ones!) and will give a hug anytime I ask. If we're all playing on the ground, he'll want to be sitting in my lap. He has a few not so fun habits, too, though. Biting is the worst one. He gets me on my inner thigh often. This is always when I'm cooking or washing dishes and he grabs onto both legs, sticks his head in between and gets me. I guess I should be thankful he's not 2 inches taller...(ouch!!) He climbs, too but he seems to be smarter about it. Hmmmm....as I reread that I remembered last week when he fell of a garden bench outside and landed on the bricks...so he's a good climber but NOT a good faller.
Out of the two, he's more apt to sit alone and play by himself for a good while (good while=15 minutes). He also hits and scratches. He's more sensitive when I yell, not just at him but anyone...(can you believe I yell??) He'll come to me and want to be picked up if I yell at Zach or Trevor.
Words are:
Mamma
Dada
We think he said "Trevor" today
Drink
JJ
Uh oh

He just started nodding last week, has been shaking his head no for a bit now...he also says "Uh-uh!" very strongly while shaking his head no...pretty cute.
He loves the bath, too. Great pooper, great sleeper (really great). Great eater, loves veggies and fruit. He seems to be more empathetic than his brother. He likes to throw things away, too, but I have to watch him. The other day I found a ball, a car, a marker and a screwdriver set in the trash. He cares nothing about TV and prefers to empty my bathroom drawer while I take a shower.
He still wears an eye patch (which is now a really big band aid because they have stronger adhesive) but he still rips it off at the first second I'm not looking. It's for his lazy eye if you forgot why he's wearing an eye patch. We have an appt with a new eye doctor at the end of March. We've even tried packaging tape wrapped around his head a few times to keep the darn thing on...to no avail.

That's about it for them. They go everywhere in the wagon often times you'll see me at the stores pushing a cart in front and pulling the wagon behind me. Zach walks. It's like a parade, all we're missing are sparklers and noisemakers (oh wait, the noisemakers are the kids....guess just the sparklers.)
This age is fun for a lot of reasons, but I'll tell you...it's also quite difficult. I can't play a game with Zach because the brothers just want to destroy everything. While I'm cleaning up a mess in one corner, they're destroying the other corner. It's non stop. I've tried reading books to them but they last 2 pages and then they're grabbing at the book, trying to rip it or they get into a tug of war with it...then they all start crying.
How do I get through it??
I count down the minutes til naptime as well as bedtime.
Then I open a bottle of wine.
My time is from 8:30 until 10pm. You'll almost always find me watching my DVR'd shows on the recliner.

Snow Day!

2011-01-27T14:56:00.000-08:00

In early January, we had a freak storm come in and for the first time in 20 years, it snowed in Santa Clarita! We weren't here then, of course, so it was the first time we'd ever seen snow at our house.
I had seen on Facebook from friends that live close by, that it was snowing at their houses. I ran outside in the rain to watch for these crazy little snowflakes. Jeff came outside and saw me and said, "what are you doing?? It's cold out here!" I replied, "I'm waiting for it to snow." He looked at me like I had finally lost my marbles. I explained to him what was going on and went back inside because it really was cold.
About 20 minutes later, I checked again, and sure enough I could see some little flakes mixed in with the rain. I ran and got Jeff and he finally saw them after about 5 minutes of me saying, "There! Did you see that one?? There's another one!" Yes, as in ONE snowflake. Remember, we live in Southern California people! It's 75 degrees today!
I ran and woke up Zach from his nap to see the snow (against Jeff's wishes). He was half asleep but excited. I bundled him up, threw him outside and he......lasted 3 minutes until he started crying and wanted to go back in.
Moments like this NEVER go the way I think they're going to!! After about an hour, he finally had fully woken up and wanted to go make snowballs...which was great because having enough snow to make actual snowballs is WAY better then searching for them inbetween raindrops.

Zach not pleased AT ALL to be awake, cold and layered with oodles of clothes.

JJ not sure what to make of all this...
Zach, much happier now. We are so ill prepared for snow, we had to put socks on the twins hands. No mittens here.
And yes, I'm in my jammies still. Trevor immediately learned he could rub his sock hands on the ground and suck the snow off. Totally hygienic, I know. Dylan just liked to splash around in the slush, but not super happy about his garage sale snow bib (lucky us!) nor the boots that didn't quite fit yet.
Trevor still eating his sock-snow hands

The twins had had enough so I took them inside to get warm and de-layered. They loved watching Zach throw snow balls at the window
Our street
Our house
NOT our house. We went for a drive to see the snow in our little city and I wanted to get pictures of their snowmen....hope they didn't see the creepy stranger taking pictures of their house (who would be ME)

Zach's very own snowman
Jeff and I both said how fun it would be to live someplace where it snowed like this twice a year. Any more than that...forget it. I'd never leave the house! Do you know how long it takes to get three kids bundled up to go outside??! Or the mess it leaves when they're done??! (I know some of you do!)

The snow lasted until 11:00 the next day...then it was gone.

Snow much fun!!
(Yeah, I know that last line was super lame.)

Is there a Demon in There?

2011-01-09T13:54:00.000-08:00

Please enjoy Trevor's sweet, delightful voice.

Ahhhh, truly the voice of an angel.

Christmas 2010

2011-01-07T19:00:00.000-08:00

Ah, Christmas.

We had one of our fun filled Christmases with illness. I don't know what it is with our family...but the kids get sick.

A lot.

Three days before Christmas, all the kids were snotty. No biggie. Dylan was on his usual regimen of breathing treatments. That afternoon, I gave him a bunch of treatments and by 7pm, I gave him a second or third one in a short amount of time. I can't remember if it was the second or third one (I get confused easily), but Dylan was suddenly trembling. Not unexpected, as the Albuterol can do that. It's like epinephrine, so it can give you the shakes and a rapid heartbeat. This was different, however as he was also breathing quite fast. I called the pediatrician and after describing the signs, she suggested I go to the urgent care.

Of course, our pediatric urgent care had closed (didn't know that), so I either had to drive to Encino (about 25 minutes) or go to the ER. I opted for the urgent care. Off I took my little man, bundled up in a blankie with his bottle.

They gave him a treatment and he had a chest xray.

Diagnosis?

Pneumonia.

Shit.

Those were my exact words to the doctor. If you'll remember, this time last year, Dylan was in the hospital for 12 days with RSV, pneumonia and bronchiolitis. I was so scared and sure he'd end up, once again, in the hospital for Christmas.

We went home, armed with antibiotics, steroids and instructions for many breathing treatments.

On Thursday, while I was at work, Jeff took all the kids into the pediatrician. We figured with everyone so snotty, we'd better have everyone looked at.

The diagnoses?

Dylan: Pneumonia, RSV

Trevor: Slight pneumonia, RSV

Zach: Ear infection

My kitchen counter looked like a pharmacy initself. Antibiotics for all. Breathing txs for the twins. Steroid for Dylan.

At this point, I called my parents, who were supposed to come down for Xmas and told them not to come. They pick up every bug that the kids have usually and with all of this, it was a guarantee they'd get something. Plus, I still didn't know how everyone would respond to their medicines and I was still nervous someone would end up hospitalized.

Luckily, everyone responded very well to the meds. Yes, even Dylan. As a matter of fact, all the kids' demeanors were great, so that made me feel a bit more confident and secure.

Christmas was great. Even though my parents weren't here, it didn't feel like an enormous hole...our family of five keeps things busy and lively enough now! Plus, it wasn't as much of a gift-orgy as it could have been, so it was actually nice.

Here, Zach is surveying the goods Santa brought

Those pesky reindeer made quite a mess in my kitchen. Apparently someone didn't think Santa made enough of a mess that evening

Helping Daddy open his present

Orthodontics in our future

The twins got these monkeys in their stockings from Santa.

Trevor loooooooved his

I Just Don't Get It

2010-12-30T20:21:00.000-08:00

I'll get to the Christmas post soon.
I heard some really horrible news today.
On my blog roll, which is the list of blogs I follow, there's this girl named Jenn I stalk. I must of found her during my IVF days on a message board for IVF and infertility. Anyway, she's hysterical and maybe I find her so funny because I can relate to what she goes through with infertility. She has a daughter that was conceived through IVF who's about 2. They wanted number #2, so she did a FET (frozen embryo transplant) and got pregnant with twins! Exactly the same way we did it! She calls her uterus her "uterus of doom" and so on and it just makes me laugh.
Anyway, she's had a rough time, major swelling, one twin really tiny, one huge (hog baby, she referred to her.) Prego with twin girls...
These last few weeks they were trying to get her to bake those baby girls for as long as possible...delivery was imminent. She made it to week 32. Preeclampsia, etc. Not great, but better than week 26, which was a possibility at one time.
She had those baby girls last night. Tiny baby was sent to a children's hospital, stable. Hog baby, named Evelyn, did not survive. In her post, which was short and sweet she wrote, "We never worried about that twin all this time..."
This morning, I cried for this person I've never met. Funny how you can feel so much for someone you don't know. I can't imagine the emotions she's going through right now. In her previous posts she's asked for advice on what to get for twins, how to manage with schedules, etc. All of her blog followers (which is into the thousands, I think), gave helpful advice and tips of what worked for them with their multiples.
I'm sure she had bought everything, got the rooms ready, had visions of running after two toddlers plus a 4 year old, what life would be like in 10 years. I'm sure she'd thought of school time...do you put them in class together or separate them? Dress them alike or not? Balancing attention time between the twins and her other daughter...
And now?
Her world may have well been cracked open and all that she knew may as well have fallen into the gorge.
I can't imagine.
It's days like this I hug my boys, all of them, just a little tighter. I tell them I love them a little more often. I try a little harder not to lose my patience.
I'm so lucky.
When you're an infertility survivor, you feel lucky every day, no joke.
I'm not the praying kind, but if you've read this and have a moment, try and send out some good vibes to this poor girl and her family. She thought the hardest part of having these babies would be the NICU.
Now, there's that gorge.

You'll Never Guess Where We Went on Christmas Eve...

2010-12-26T20:57:00.000-08:00

Church.
Yes, you read that correctly.
Church.
Now, those that know me well know that church is the last place you'd expect to find me.
I was raised Catholic. Went to Catecism (see, I don't even know how to spell it!). Had my first communion.
Then, we moved to California. I remember asking my mom if I still had to go to Catecism. My mom said, "No, we live far enough away now".
Ha!
In junior high school, I went to church a few times...even participated in a youth group at a local Christian church a few times.
In high school, I went to church once with a friend. Ok, truth be told, I only went because I liked the guy. Let's just say it wasn't a good experience. My friend had to hold onto my arm in the pew so I wouldn't walk out and embarrass him.
I also went to Midnight Mass my senior year. I also went to Baccalaureate.
I went to a church in Kentucky with my friend on Easter. That place was like a stadium, with, I kid you not, a huge TV screen mounted from the ceiling like an arena. Thousands of people! Very different.
I won't get into what I believe now, mainly because I don't fall into the majority and it may cause some of you to pray for me. Let's just say I'm not a religious person.
Fast forward to Christmas Eve.
My neighbor, who sometimes fills in the "husband role" when Jeff is away (not like that, people! Get your minds out of the gutter!), works at a church in my city that is well known. It's a Christian church and he'd kept telling me about it...the plans for their Christmas Eve services, the decorations, the candle holders he'd built for the services, etc. I jokingly told him to stop trying to convert me, but I did want to see what he was talking about. He's so proud of it, as well he should be. We were chatting the day before and he again said, "I wish you'd come and see it all!" I told him I really would try because I'd genuinely like to see all the work he'd done.
So, on Christmas Eve, I decided to take Zach with me to church.
You have to understand, aside from wanting to show my neighbor support, this time of year makes me feel the most heathen-ish. Yes, I know I just made up a word. Jeff is Jewish, I'm...whatever. I will, however, teach my boys all about other religions (as much as I can) and make sure they know that a lot of people DO attend churches of all kinds and what they may take away from it. (I'm not THAT classless and single-minded.)
So, off we go with my neighbor to the 7pm service.
It's a beautiful facility. Lots of attention to detail, from the beautiful rugs to the wrought iron staircase. The place was decked out with Christmas decorations, which made it so gorgeous. A 22 foot Christmas tree in the lobby was the focal point. Zach was won over right away because they had cookies and coffee and tea. The Christmas tree cookies with green sparkles were a huge hit!
So, it's time for service and we could bring in our cookies and coffee.
That was weird because that would NEVER happen at a Catholic church. At least not the ones I've been to.
There was a narrator talking about Biblical people I don't know.
Then the aerial acrobats came out.
Yes, you read it right.
AERIAL ACROBATS.
Like the kind you see in circus acts. Three women came out from the wings and mounted their circle things in the three aisles.
While the narrator continued to dramatically talk about important people and events, they spun.
And spun.
And twirled.
And swung.
Okaaaaaaaayyyyyy...
Then the band came out and sang some gospel songs. That was great...the lead singer was amazing and the whole thing was a mix between jazz and rock. They also sang Christmas Carols, which I loved!
Then the lady in a leotard came out and did another aerial acrobatic act with those long "silks". You know, where the fabric hangs from the ceiling and they twist themselves in it and swing.
And swing she did.
And she spun.
Again.
That lasted about 10 minutes.
Then the ballerinas came out. One, about 13...very cute. The other, too old to be wearing a leotard in public.
Then the pastor came out and talked for about 15 minutes. He kept it light and it was very nice.
More music and that pretty much wrapped up the hour.
Yes, it was unlike anything I'd ever been to.
I couldn't even COMPARE it to a Catholic church.
It was funny, I kept wanting to stand and kneel at various times...they don't do that. I even quickly looked for the holy water when I first walked in. Some things are so engrained, I guess.
All joking aside, it was a very nice evening and I'm glad we went. Zach was very good and sat nicely the entire time. They brought out flameless candles and passed them out to everyone...so that was a very fun distraction for him. Zach even helped put all the candles back in the holders after the service and one of the pastors gave him one to take home for being such a great helper.
Who woulda-thunk it?

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

2010-12-19T13:56:00.000-08:00

Last week we took the kids to see Santa at the mall. I wasn't sure how this was going to go...one reason being there's three of them and only two knees. Also, Zach wasn't too keen on Santa last year and I didn't know if all my hyping him up would make a difference.
Well, Zach was ALL into it...sat on his knee, told him what he wanted...that needed a little coaching on my part. He hasn't yet realized that stuff he sees on commercials or in the stores he actually could get if he whined enough. I'm thankful for that.
We got there right at 10am when Santa opened and we went on a Monday...all carefully orchestrated by yours truly. We were second in line. Yay us!

When we walked up to Santa I said, "Hi Santa! I'm not sure how this is going to work..." Upon seeing the three monkeys I had in tow he said, "Me neither, but let's give it a shot."

I didn't care about smiles, I just wanted to have the picture, which is what I told the "elf" taking the pictures. She seemed grateful that she wouldn't have to stand on her head for smiles.

Trevor loved it, as you could see. Here Dylans trying to figure out why the conniption fit...

Zach with some one on one time with the big guy after the trauma...er...pictures were over.
Santa even got a hug!! I was surprised!

SuperMom Moment

2010-12-17T14:21:00.000-08:00

You ever have one of those moments when you want to stand on the top of your roof with your arms overhead shouting, "I did it! I'm amazing! Nothing can stop me!"
Well, last night I had one of those moments.
Christmas is getting closer and I'm starting to have the OMG-I-don't-have-my-stuff-together nervous breakdowns. One of the things that still needed to get done was shopping for stocking stuffers for the twins, Jeff and my Mom and Dad. Luckily Zach was finished.
I realized that the weathermen are all in agreement that we'll be having rain every day until Christmas. I figured I could either trudge out at 6 pm with all the kiddos last night or have to do it in the pouring rain. So, I packed everyone up and off to Target we went.
I brought a paper bag with me to put all the stocking stuffers in, so Mr. Zach wouldn't see.
It's quite an art form to distract a 3 1/2 year old as I stuff cashews and beef jerky into a paper bag.
It went kind of like this:
Me: Zach! Whoa!! Look at that cool little tube of toothpaste!! Here hold onto it and see if your teeth will be automatically cleaner!"
Zach: WHAAAAAAAATTTT?!?! Magic TOOTHPASTE?!?!?!?!?
He turns, I swiftly shove an item into the bag.
Voila.
Like a flippin' pro.
PRO.
This went on for an hour and 15 minutes. Zach was such a good boy as we navigated the crowds with the parade that is my life. I'm pushing a cart, pulling a wagon with two adorable little men stuffing their faces with raisins and freeze dried apples and Zach either leading the way or bringing up the rear. Of course, we got a lot of looks, a lot of comments (all nice ones, thankfully) and I got it all accomplished!
We ended our adventure with an Icee and some fabulous Target popcorn.
SuperMom....over and out.

The Only Time I Love Laundry

2010-12-10T13:47:00.000-08:00

These were taken last month. These two just love to get into baskets, bins, cabinets, drawers, etc.
They usually take out every single one of their toys in this big Rubbermaid storage bin so they can climb inside. If Zach is home, he joins in the fun...and then everyone starts screaming because 3 truly is a crowd.

You Have No Idea How True to Life This is...

2010-12-07T18:35:00.000-08:00

Pumpkins in December

2010-12-01T12:53:00.000-08:00

Have I mentioned that Trevor is walking and Dylan is trying his hardest to follow suit? That and Thanksgiving was upon us....
it came to my attention (thanks, cousin Marie!) that I've been s-l-a-c-k-i-n-g on my blog. I've been so behind and lax that I never posted our pumpkin patch pictures!!
Have I mentioned that this is my favorite time of the year AND I'm a pumpkin patch whore. I love them and Jeff knows by now that I will try and hit as many as humanly possible. Unfortunately, having three kids puts a slight crimp in our going-out-and-doing-everything-we-want-to style. These pics are from the first one we hit up. It's at Pierce College, which is a JC in the valley. It's the best one, in my opinion...they have animals, rides, bands, haunted houses, fair food and, of course, pumpkins.
Here's some of the cuties...
Trevor and Jeff

The way ALL of our family photos are these days...hope our Xmas card will be minus the wagon and will all eyes front and center.

Can you believe we got all three with smiles?!?!?!?

Yes, we looked like jackasses coaxing these cute faces into grins, but oh well...

Trev

See: jackasses

(Not the cuties...the parents behind the camera making literal jackass sounds in order to again, get smiles)

Z-Man

Sssssshhhhhh...

Mommy and my first born monkey

Superpowers

2010-11-13T14:22:00.000-08:00

If you were granted one superhero power, what would it be?
I started thinking about this the other day...
sure, there's the typical "I wish I could fly"
or "I wish I could teleport myself"
But there are two powers I think waaaaay trump those.

First, I'd like to be known as Wonder Cleaner. With a simple point of my finger, my carpets would be cleaned, dishes would magically be scrubbed and PUT AWAY. Laundry would appear in all the right drawers and closets, cleaned AND pressed. I could swish my arm and all stickiness from my house would disappear and left in it's place would be the scent of lemons and honeysuckle.

The other superhero I would love to be Mrs. Car-Is-Packed-Appropriately-All-The-Time.
This means, with a wiggle of my nose (a la Samantha) my clean, organized car would be loaded with Graham crackers, raisin, gold fish, fresh fruit (cubed, of course), yogurt and string cheese that is always perfectly chilled, sippy cups filled with chilled water or V8 Fusion Lite juice OR slightly warmed milk...all of which never goes bad. Diapers, wipes, changes of clothes would all be there, too. Oh, and carseats would not harbor any remnant of aforementioned food, PLUS all toting apparatus would always be clean and at the ready such as, strollers, wagons, bikes, helmets, toys that children will not throw to the ground like it's a hot coal.....OH! Also, these toys would be changed out every 2 days! And for the older child, there would be books, stickers, dry erase boards, Magna Doodles and light up spinning toys, otherwise known as heroin-to-a-3-year-old.

So, what's your superpower wish list?

Playground Politics

2010-11-09T20:15:00.000-08:00

I've become sort of a park-expert these last few years.
I take the kids to the park on average 3 times a week.
When Zach was the only child, I'd scour the city in search of the latest and greatest in playgrounds. I guess it was a way for me to get out of the house and to keep my sanity (how long can you play cars or ball before losing some brains cells?)
Also, I love being outside, as does Zach. I've continued my park adventures with all three, even though it can be daunting/stressful/crazy taking three kids to the park alone. Now that Trevor is 100% walking, it's even tougher. However, I'm not letting a little thing like having three kiddos 3 and under deter me.
Over the last few years, I've been able to observe different types of kids and even more importantly, different kinds of parents and parenting styles. Since my kids aren't in elementary school yet, the park has become my psychological experiment.
Allow me to share my observations with you.

1. The parents who take their kids to the park, but then sit on a bench and stare off into the distance, as if they're not really the mom or dad. As if bringing your one child to the playground required ALL of your energy for the day and you can't possibly be bothered with interacting with him or her one.more.minute.

2. The parents who let their kids loose, but then proceed to yak on your cell phone the.entire.time. This goes on even though their child is calling to them, "Mommy, push me on the swing!" "Mommy, chase me down the slide!" You know, try to be present with your kids, people. Whoever you're talking to on the phone just isn't that important. I've heard your conversations. You're not doctors arranging donor organs to be delivered to your patient. You're yapping about your new haircut with a girlfriend. Get.off.the.phone.

3. The parents who bring 3287 sand toys for their kids (none of which are being played with.) Then another child meanders over to your stash and instead of saying, "Oh, sure you can play with that, sweetie!" they just stare at you like you're going through their underwear drawer. Even when you say to your child, "Oh no, sweetie, these aren't your 3287 toys, don't touch" you expect the other parent to say, "Oh no, please! He can play with them! I DID bring 3287 toys!" they still look at you like you need to teach your child manners.
Not to toot my own horn, but if I bring sand toys, I always manage to bring 2 of everything. Your kids learn from your example. Sharing is fun.

4. The moms who come in a giant swarm, in their matching track suits and Starbucks coffee in hand. They stand in the distance chatting away. Meanwhile, their child is on the swing screaming, "Mommy! Push me!!" Of course, they are too engaged in their fabulous conversation to deal with their child (see #1). Somehow, I'm forced to push THEIR child on the swing as well as my three...because I don't have enough to do. It's not like they don't see me either. They see me. They tip their Starbucks coffee to me as a way of saying "thank you for being a grown up willing to give my child attention." Hey, biotches. If you couldn't tell, I'm busy. I'll push your kid because I feel bad for the poor creature. But I have an idea.... Get.Off.Your.Ass and be a MOM.

5. Nannies. Especially nannies who have one child with them and see me and my brood and say, "Oh my, do you have help?"
No. I made a conscious decision to have children. They're mine. And they're fun. Go tell your boss.

6. Kids who don't share. Or are mean. Or snotty. And their parents don't do anything about it. It's bad enough when the parents don't share their 3287 toys. But when a kid says to mine, "Go away. We don't like you. Don't touch our stuff." That kills me. I'm sad because those kids will turn into the yucky parents I described earlier. I'm sad also because I can't push their faces into the sand without having the police called.

7. The parents who don't want help from you or anyone, thank you. Another mom might see a kid tugging at his privates and say, "Hon, do you have to go potty? Go tell your Mom". The kid's mom hears this conversation and instead of saying "thank you" they say in a snarky tone "He's fine. Thanks."
Hey lady, have you ever heard "it takes a village?" Be a little gracious. I love it if someone rescues my kid from the monkey bars or hands him his ball. If he gets sand in his eyes, please, be my guest to lend a hand as I'm literally running in two different directions after the other two. Jeez, people.

8. Then there's the guy at the edge of the playground, just hanging out. It appears he has no kids at the playground. Hey, Mister...go away. Every woman here thinks you're a pedophile and will be checking the Megan's Law website later looking for your creepy picture.

9. Going back to the sand toys...if your kid wants to play with my stuff, that's great. But please, don't let them scatter it across the playground and then balk at me when I ask them to help me pick them up. Don't make me teach your kids manners. I'm busy.

All of these things have either happened to me or I've witnessed them as a third party (eavesdropping, of course.) It's always an education, albeit not always a good one.
If I had one word of advice for parents....it's as simple as two words.
BE PRESENT.

Let's Go Treating!

2010-11-01T14:24:00.000-07:00

Our Halloween was great!
We started off carving pumpkins a few days prior. Jeff later said to me, "All of your ideas aren't working out so well..."
Yeah. That was an understatement.
I cleaned all the pumpkins out beforehand knowing Zach would want nothing to do with touching pumpkin guts. Jeff came home from an early morning meeting to do the carving.

I set the twins up at the table also with paint and brushes thinking they'd go crazy. Well, they went crazy all right. About 3 seconds into it I realized they hadn't quite achieved the skill set to handle painting. Paint started flying everywhere and their hands went right to it. I put the kibosh on that real quick, since I didn't want to spend the rest of my day scrubbing paint off my kitchen ceiling.
So........
my next bright idea was to put them in the tub with their pumpkins and paint (minus the brushes) and let them have at it.
Dylan ate the paint in .0083 seconds.
Not to mention the fact that most of the paint was on the tiles...

Zach wanted to paint his pumpkin as well...of course. The brothers did it, why shouldn't he...

Fast forward to my costume. We (I) decided, with Zach of course, to go as Scooby Doo. The boys were Scooby Doo, Jeff was Fred and I was Daphne. I ran around and got all the costumes a long time ago, but I had problems with Daphne. Have you noticed how sleazy women's costumes are now?? I don't know what teenage girls do...their choices are: slutty pirate, trampy pirate and give-me-some-cash-and-I'll-do-whatever-you-want-me-to-do pirate. I know I sound like an old codge, but really. Oh, and judging by some of the costumes I saw some teenage girls wearing last night...they get ready at their friend's house and go trick or treating. If their parents knew what they had on, they'd be in a bus on their way to the nunnery.

I digress...

So, the Daphne costume was skanky. I thought, "I can make a simple sheath dress! I have a sewing machine! How hard can it be??"

I was very intimidated to make this costume, sewing is not my thing. So, being the smartie that I am, I decided to wait until 8:30pm the night before Halloween to attempt it.

When I told my mom my gameplan she said incredulously, "You're not using a pattern??"

I planned on laying like a snow angel and having Jeff trace my body. Cut out two of those, sew them together and VOILA! How hard could it be?!

I was prepared to watch my mom eat crow when she saw my handiwork.

I wish I'd have taken a picture of my work of art...

I looked like a giant purple stuffed sausage.

With alien sleeves...one too tight and one like a graduation gown.

I went into Zach's room where Jeff was reading a bedtime story and said

"I think I'm screwed."

Jeff says, "Just rip the seams out and start over, no biggie".

My face said this:

!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?

Me: Forget it, that would take forever. I'll just get more fabric tomorrow (Halloween) and start over.

So, the next morning, Jeff let me sleep in (heavenly). I came out around 9:15am and he says, "Try this on. I think I fixed it."

Again:

?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!!?

He'd ripped out the seams and and redid the dress. It took a few fittings and reworkings, but that morning Jeff made my dress.

Apparently, he took a sewing class when he was a teenager. WTH!?!?!?

At this point, I went outside and changed the oil in both cars.

No, not really, but I felt like I should...

So, for my part, I glued on the ribbon accent.

And here's the whole fam-damily. We went to our friend's Amy and Donald's house like we've done the last several years because they live in a newer neighborhood and families come out in droves. It's great.

Zach loved everything! The monsters, the haunted houses (some people went all out with their decorating). Nothing scared him, which I loved.

I brought the twins back to the house and Jeff went with Zach for a few more minutes of trick or treating...or as Zach says "We went for more treating!!"

I guess skip the trick part and go straight for the good stuff!

Dylan decided the best place to be was IN the candy bowl.

Yummmmm! Candy!!!!

Sickies

2010-10-29T13:51:00.000-07:00

Although you'd never know it from these pics from this morning. Both twins have a cold. Poo.
By now we've learned that at the first sign of a cold, we need to hit Dylan heard with his breathing treatments. So, every 4-5 hours, he gets a treatment of Albuterol and a steroid. When we stay ahead of it, he fares much better. He's all junky but so far no wheezing, which is his main problem. He's so full of snot that the booger sucker has come out to play, and Dylan HATES it more than anything. You'd swear I was ripping his toenails out one by one instead of just trying to get some boogers.
Trevor does much better when he's sick and just like to sneeze out as much snot as he can. He's really good at it. Yuck.
We were playing this morning and apparently Dyl was feeling much better since he smiled for these shots.

Dylan does have some polish in him...you can tell by the way he sits on his big brother's Smart Cycle.

Hey Mom, do you think you could buuy me some pants that fit?

Some kids like to play with their cars on their car table.
Mine like to play with their cars while on the car table.

Match-y Match-y

2010-10-27T19:46:00.000-07:00

Now before you start saying outloud to yourselves, "Oh.My.God. She dresses them alike??"
I hardly ever do it. But, with three little monkeys in my house, I can't pass up the urge all the time. Also, in the past I've gotten the twins matching jammies and Zach said, "I want to wear the same jammies as the brothers!"
So, the last several times at Costco, they've had the footie jammies in all the right sizes, and I couldn't pass it up.

First off, this is a fun little game I like to call:
Rock-the-recliner-really-fast-and-watch-the-brothers-heads-bash-against-the-back-until-their-IQ levels-go-down.
They love it.

Helllllllllo Monkeys

The Wedding of the Century

2010-10-22T16:51:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, (October 9th, to be exact), my beautiful BFF since high school, Cheri Savercool (now Morgan) got married! Woo hoo!
Jeff, Zach and me went up to participate in the festivities. My parents came down and babysat the twins for us. I, along with her sister, Stacy were the matrons of honor (yuck, I hate that word "matron". It makes me think of saggy boobs and muu-muus). Zach and another little boy were the ring bearers. We had a blast! Cheri looked amazing, as you'll see in the pictures.
My GPS decided to give me jacked up directions to the golf course for the rehearsal, so we arrived with 15 minutes to spare. I got ready in the bathroom, curling iron, Spanx and all.

The bridal party

Once we rehearsed, we were off to Brandon's showroom for the dinner. Brandon is a very talented wood worker and they had the evening catered at their place. It was a great location for the night!

And.....

the big day!!! See, I told you she looked amazing! The bridal party (girls first) took a shuttle up to the golf course from our hotel.

The sweet little flower girls and ring bearers

Hey look! I wear something besides scrubs and and T-shirts!

Cheri and her dad, Kip

Soooo happy! Cheri and Brandon

An old co worker from my Chili's days! I hadn't seen Erika in 14 years!

Kids cutting a rug

Where else would the kids be during cake time??

Me and the newly married man

Jeff and the new Mrs. Morgan!

And.....the Evidence

2010-10-04T10:13:00.000-07:00

Yes, everyone is naked again. (It was right after bathtime)

Please excuse my glamorous look here...yikes.

Did He or Didn't He?

2010-10-03T20:29:00.000-07:00

Take his first step, that is.

Let me set the stage:
We went to our friend's house yesterday to watch football (well, I went to eat and drink beer). After the game it was our usual monthly poker night.
Jeff was in the kitchen with Zach, having him eat his dinner. I was in the attached play area with the twins. All of a sudden, Trevor lurches forward and falls to the ground. This is what followed:

Me: Oh my God! Jeff! Jeff! Jeff! Come here! Look at Trevor! I think he just took his first step! Come over here! Look!
Jeff: Umm...I can't right now, Zach just puked everywhere.

Sure enough, I look over and I see some chaos/excitement happening that involved lots of paper towels and people scattering.

Me: What?! He yakked?
Jeff: Yeah, he gagged and yakked everywhere.
Me: Oh, ok...

So, in the meantime, I try standing Trevor back up and encourage him to take some steps, holding a toy in front of him saying, "Come on, Trevor, come on..."

All of a sudden I realize Zach is in the playroom with us. I don't take much notice as I'm trying to witness a monumental moment...
I then feel wetness hit my bare foot...
In slow motion (it seemed) I turn to look back at Zach.

You know those moments on America's Funniest Videos where the kid is holding his hands over his mouth trying to hold the vomit in, but instead it just helps it to spew out the sides of his hand, almost like a fountain?
Yeah. That's what happened to poor Zach.
He was a fountain of puke. I immediately forgot about Trevor's first steps and get to Zach and then somehow amidst the people scattering (again) I get some paper towels or napkins or maybe they were maxi pads and start cleaning up the tile (thank God) floor as Jeff whisks Zach off to the bathroom to clean him up.

So...did Trevor take his first steps yesterday? Well, Jeff asked me the same question today and I can honestly say I think so but can't be sure...

Camping with the Family

2010-09-30T13:58:00.000-07:00

A few weekends ago we drove up to Kaweah Park Resort, which is a campground on the river about 3 minutes from me parents house. Even though I was sick as all get out, we had a great time and the kids had an even better time.

The twins checking out the river

The gorgeous surroundings

Our first night by the fire making smores...I think Troy enjoyed them most of all

Zachary having a blast throwing anything he could into the water

Mom, sister in law Renee and my brother, Scott

Boys will be boys (mine is looking pretty white trash in his dirty skivvies)

We took a picture of Jeff with Zachary when he was about the twins age in this exact same spot. Trying to recreate the magic, here (The Zachary picture on the right from March 2008)

Mama bear and her cubs

Where in the World is Jenn Press?

2010-09-24T11:51:00.000-07:00

I've been in bed, that's where.

Last Friday, we loaded up the trailer and the family and headed to my parents' house. We were camping at a campground about 3 minutes from their house. The campground is great, it's on the river with a nice little beach so I knew Zach would be in paradise throwing rocks and sticks and anything else into the water. Climbing on rocks is a favorite past time as well. My brother, Scott, his wife, Renee and their son, Troy were also camping in the tent trailer.

Well, before getting into that post, more about me. (Hee hee).

Friday, I started to get that "Am I getting sick or is it allergies?" kinda feeling.
By Saturday I had my answer. I was getting sick. Ok, no big deal. Mommies don't get sick, so there's that. Well, apparently my body didn't get that memo.
I started fevering, my body was aching, I was cold, then hot, then cold again. My head was killing me and I was a little dizzy. This was not your average cold.
Needless to say, I was good for nothing that whole weekend.
We got home Sunday, late afternoon. The car ride was horrible...the body aches were so bad I was in tears at one point because I could NOT get comfortable. I got right into bed when we got home and I didn't get out for almost three days.
I did make it to the Dr on Monday, and that was a huge achievement since at 5 am, me leaving the bathroom wasn't looking good. But, I made it. I was, by then, dehydrated and the diagnosis was a virus. (The 5-day kind). I kind of knew that, but it's nice to have someone of authority validate that you aren't a hypochondriac and you truly are sick.as.shit.
I stayed in bed until Wednesday. Jeff had to take off work to take care of the kids. I was so dizzy and my head hurt SOOO bad...I thought for sure my brain was going to just explode because no way can anyone's head hurt THAT BAD and something major not happen.
I did not have to clean brain matter of my walls, though, thank goodness. By Wednesday I was feeling much better but my throat felt like I was swallowing razor blades. I finally decided to take a peek in there and sure enough, the tell-tale white spots all over my tonsils. Off to the Dr I went (again) to tell me what I already knew...strep throat. I haven't had that in about 20 years! I'll be glad if another 20 years pass again before I get this again. I immediately started taking antibiotics (thank you, Z-Pack) and by Thurday was feeling better to where I could eat something besides Spaghettios (we didn't have soup.)
Bad news is, I was contagious for at least 48 hours. That puts me at today. Well, my BFF Cheri's bachlorette party is this weekend in Napa. I'm supposed to be there today at a rental house (that I already paid into), but I had to cancel because if I'm still contagious, I'm not risking getting the entire bridal party sick, not to mention the bride herself!
What a dang bummer. I was so looking forward to going...I've only been to Napa once and I was like, 9. So it sucked then. But I'm a grown up now who LOOOOVES wine...and a weekend away from the kids and husband?? Um, yes please!
Instead, I'll be home. Taking my Z-Pack and maybe swearing a little.
One bright spot:
I lost 3 pounds.

La la la la la la la...

2010-09-12T20:25:00.000-07:00

I guess all that blogging last month left me cooked. There's really been nothing exciting going on. A few weekends ago we drove up to Santa Barbara to meet up with friends at the zoo. It was very last minute and we got stuck in oodles of traffic going up there. As I told Jeff, had Zach not known where we were going, I would have turned my car around and went home. He ended up getting a bug that evening, so it was a pretty low key labor day weekend, what with my sickie and Trevor's recuperation. I took Zach one day to see Despicable Me. He made it all the way, but those darn ants in his pants starting crawling around 30 minutes before the movie ended.

That child will NOT sit still. It drives me cuckoo.

Ummm...oh I got my hair did. Hee hee. It was a pretty momentous occasion since it had been since February that I had had it done. Yikes. I, of course went dark reddish brown because that's what I do when fall comes. In April I'll start to lighten it up again.

I think Trevor has the same buggy-bug that Zach had, so I'm sure it won't be long until Dylan gets it. It was a very weird virus...a fever I couldn't break for 3 days, and Zach's mouth was disgusting with fever blisters and crusties. Other than that, no other symptoms. Odd. I hope Trevor can avoid the lip crusties.

This week, Jeff is in El Capitan for work (just north of Santa Barbara). It's a campground where they have cabins with real beds. He's there until Thursday, camping (I know, rough life) and then we leave Friday to go up to my folks house to camp at a local spot not far from their house.
I'm taking Tuesday off because I couldn't get a babysitter and Thursday my friend Kristin is watching the twins. I'll send Zach to preschool M, T, W and pay an extra day on Thursday.

Anyway, enough of that boring day to day stuff.
Here's some recent pics of the kids:

Please observe Dylan's new trick. My little spider monkey is a CLIMBER!
He grabs onto the tracks and pulls himself up...

Until he's reached the top! Problem is, he doesn't know how to get down, so I really don't like him up there.

The two most handsome 13 month olds on the planet

My little goofball

Zach before school one day looking snazzy. It was a cold, overcast day here so all the kids had on their finest warm clothes. The twins had no idea what to do with these long-sleeve-type things and Zach finally has pants that fit him. He's very skinny and tall, so finding pants that fit him is a tricky thing.

Yes, little Trevor is standing without holding onto anything. This particular day he stood up while holding this toy. (Please don't walk yet!!) Oh, and this top Dylan has on was supposed to be used in the "photo shoot from hell". Now you've seen it.

Zach and his stick.

Trevor's Surgery

2010-09-04T20:54:00.000-07:00

As many of you know, Trevor had surgery on Friday. Since birth, he had a large scrotum. Poor baby. He will read this when he's older saying, "Thanks, mom for telling the world about my balls."
At his 6 month dr appointment I brought it up to the doc and she told me it was probably retained fluid and it should resolve itself by the year mark. It hadn't, so we were referred to a pediatric urologist. It was either retained fluid or an actual hernia. The doc wouldn't know until he got in there. Either way, it'd be an easy fix.
So yesterday was the big day. Thankfully my parents came down to help with the other kids. We didn't know the time of the surgery until the afternoon before, so securing a babysitter was q challenge. Luckily they came down because we had to be at Childrens hospital at 5:30. In the morning. That means Jeff and I were up at 4am and on the road at 4:30. The surgery was at 7:30. Why in the name of everything holy we had to be there 2 hours early, I don't know.
Thankfully, at Childrens they have a playroom with a bunch of toys, so Trev was occupied. At 7am they gave him Verced, which made him look like he had a martini. At 7:30 on the dot I handed my baby to a whole group of people with gowns and masks on an we went to the waiting room to chew on our fingernails.
The surgery lasted approx. an hour and we were brought to recovery immediately. It took hi
a bit to wake up from anesthesia, but after 45 minutes he took a bottle of apple juice. Then he took another. Then we left.
Stopped at CVS to get his RX of Tylenol with Codiene filled.
At home, he.........
actedlike nothing happened. At all. We gave him regular Tylenol to start with. That was the only dose he had. That kid was climbing, crawling, smiling a d laughing as if nothing happened.
Unreal.
He has dissolvable sutures inside with some steri tape in the outside that will fall off. No baths for a week.
He hasn't shown any signs of discomfort. I'm so glad it's over and so happy it was as seamless as it was.
Here he is in his cute little hospital gown

And after surgery

Thank you everyone for your good thoughts. We are so grateful!
Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Am-inals

2010-08-31T15:50:00.001-07:00

On Sunday we took the kids to a place called The Gentle Barn. It's a non-profit organization that rescues abused, neglected and abandoned animals and gives them a permanent home at their facility. They go all out with these animals and offer them all sorts of rehabilitation such as massage, socialization and physical therapy. They also have a lot of developmentally disabled children and teens that help care for the animals, so it's a win win on both sides. This place is about 20 minutes from our house in Agua Dulce. They were having their 11th birthday so we decided it'd be a great day to go. Also, the heat finally broke, so we were all happy to get out and about without bursting into flames.

Zach brushing a cow

The brothers enjoyed the "am-inals" too

We bought a bag of carrots for $1 and fed the horses. Zach loved it!
Future farmer?
Oink oink...two little piggiesFeeding the sheep some corn

Even Trevor and Dylan got into it. Trevor was enamored with this emu, as was the emu with Trevor...
Have you ever pet an emu? They're really soft...this one followed us around the pen for quite some time...I think he thought our wagon was his feed wagon
Of course we had to end our trip with some popcorn...

Writer's Block

2010-08-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

What to tell you about today....
it's still hot.
That's a big bummer. It's supposed to break tomorrow, expected to only be 90 instead of 110. This heat is the definition of oppressive.
Uncle Pat came over this afternoon to jump in the pool because his AC is out in his studio/converted garage...he said it must be 95 degrees in his place. Ouch.
He ended up staying for dinner and we all went swimming afterwards, which was super fun. It was nice to have someone to cook for who doesn't often get a homecooked meal.
I also made Mac-n-cheese for the kids, but I used Velveeta and protein enriched elbow macaroni. I've never bought Velveeta before. That was interesting. It was good and Zach liked it. The twins of course like everything.

You know what is a wonderful invention? Spray sunscreen. It must have been such a chore for our parents to put sunscreen on us...chasing us down, rubbing it in, getting sand in it and us screaming...
Yuk.
Zach loves getting sunscreen on and will often remind me to put it on him. And it's done in 45 seconds.

Have you seen the show NICU on TLC? It's a reality based show, depicting real parents going through the emotional roller coaster of having their newborns in the NICU. I can make it about 3 minutes without crying...it usually happens when they tell the mother that they're going to be delivering her baby at 31 weeks...that's when I lose it. I can just see the gears turning in that new mom-to-be's head...
it's too early...
you're delivering me today?
what if the baby dies?
again...you're telling me I'm having this baby...today?
Been there, done that. And it's not fun.
I don't know why I watch this darn show...I know I'll end up a blubbering mess...

In other news, Trevor will be having surgery next Friday on his scrotum. The urologist said it's either retained fluid or a hernia. He won't know until he gets in there, but either way it's a simple surgery and he does it all the time.
That's great and I'm glad he does it 5 times a week, but I only have one Trevor. I can promise you, without a doubt, I'll be an absolute mess that day. He has to be completely put out, but the whole process will last about 4-5 hours, with the surgery lasting 45 minutes of that. It's outpatient, so he'll not have to stay overnight. I'll keep you posted.

Zachary has decided to give the bad behavior a rest this week and has been his usual, nice kid self. Thank goodness. He was quite the monster last week and I hope that it was a short lived monster.

Trevor's rash was gone after 3 days. Very weird. He's back to being his bruiser self and enjoys throwing things, including his food. He's also now standing for quite a bit without holding onto anything. (Please don't walk yet!!)

Dylan has learned how to remove his eyepatch in .35 seconds, so we've now resorted to taping it around his head with first aid tape. He looks like he's had a major head trauma. He's a funny little guy and loves, loves, loves to climb. Jeff tells me he climbed onto the coffee table today with the help of Zach's bean bag chair. Great. He also likes to help his brother pull Tupperware out of the kitchen cabinets. Fun stuff. He still loves to bounce all.the.time.

I love my boys. I'm feeling a bit sappy tonight, I guess. I'm just so aware of how lucky I am that I have them. There are so many people that still struggle with infertility and I'm aware. I've seen women look at me with my kids with a longing that's palpable and I want to hug them and say, "I understand. I'm sorry it's worked for me and you're still struggling. I get it. And it's not fair." I used to have that look often.
Here's a word of advice to the fertiles (as you're known to the infertiles). Just say you're sorry and you hope it gets better. That's all you need to say.
Here's a list of don'ts:
DON'T say how much fun it is to practice. Baby making sex is NOT fun.
DON'T say how your husband looked at you and you got pregnant. Awesome for you, makes the IF (infertile) want to stab themselves with a fork.
DON'T say "have you tried..." (insert huge list of suggestions from putting your legs in the air for 20 minutes to going on vacation).
DON'T talk about your own kids incessantly.
DON'T tell us all about your birth control methods and ask why the hell would we want kids.
DON'T say "just adopt."
Seriously DON'T say "just adopt" as you shoo your kids away from your ankles.

This post is a big mumble jumble.
Kind of like my brain lately.
I'll get back on track soon.
;o)

Lo Siento

2010-08-25T21:24:00.000-07:00

No post tonight. I melted.
Feeling melancholy.
Must be the heat.
10-4.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Hot hot hot

2010-08-24T20:48:00.000-07:00

We're in the middle of a heat wave here. It's been 100 degrees or more the last few days and it's supposed to continue for a while. This evening consisted of playing with water, jumping in the pool and eating Popsicles.
Of course there was some sandbox time, too.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Blast From the Past

2010-08-22T20:49:00.000-07:00

I was going through my pictures on my phone and came across this little gem. This was a year ago. They call this "kangaroo" or "skin to skin" therapy. I would do this with the babies everyday when I'd go in to see them. It's supposed to aid in their healing and I can tell you it helped heal me, too. I can't believe how much they've grown and thrived in the last year.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Getting Back to My Roots

2010-08-22T16:03:00.000-07:00

It seems I was feeling a little nostalgic. I decided to hang my clothes outside to dry.

I'd like to say it's because I'm so green.

I'd like to say it's because I'm so Suzy-Homemaker that I have a clothesline.

I'd like to say it's because there's nothing like the smell of clothes that have dried outside on a clothesline...because I'm all "crunchy-granola" like that.

The real reason is my dryer broke. Again.

I will spare you the long, arduous tale of my dryer.

This is the deal-io in a nutshell.

We had a dryer in this house for 7 years. It was at least 9 years old.

It sounded like I put 2, 10lb. bricks inside of it when it was on.

We found a refurbished Maytag at Lowe's at got it for a steal for $250.

It was all fancy and crap.

It worked for 3 months.

Then it didn't.

We had it repaired under warranty twice. It would work for a few days and then stop.

We made the repairs that the repair guy said to do to our duct/air flow thing-ys.

Lowe's gave us a brand new one, same model for an even exchange.

The brand new one worked for a week.

I think we have another repairman coming on Wednesday.

Sooooo...what's a girl to do with a family of five and laundry out the wazoo?

I went to Walmart, bought some cotton rope and clothespins.

I am in business.

I have to say, it's kind of cathartic to go out and hang the clothes up on the line. It takes me back to my Nanny doing this chore. I don't think she used a dryer in the summer in Northern Michigan, just the clothesline. I actually have fond memories of the clothes swinging in the breeze.

It's also amazing how fast the clothes dry in our 100 degree heat. I feel kind of bad that this is the first time I've ever thought of doing this. I will say, the clothes do smell nice, but they don't even compare to the clothes that hung on my Nanny's clothesline. I think it's the well water up there. Our sediment (read: cancer causing elements, probably) must block out the wonderful scent. Or perhaps it's our smog/air pollution (read again: cancer causing elements.)

Any-hoo...

just call me Suzy.

Picture People

2010-08-19T15:46:00.000-07:00

I have wanted to get some professional pictures taken of the family. We've never done this because we do have an amazing camera at home and we've taken some great shots on our own. Seems silly to pay for it when we can do it at home. Well, my friend Amy gave us a gift card and a gift membership to Picture People when the twins were born. What a great gift, by the way! I'd recommend doing that for a new parent.
Well, with the twins old enough to not look like little lumps and armed with the gift card, I figured it was time.
There was sooooo much planning that went into this. (Men will never understand). Let me count the ways...

I finally nailed Jeff down for a date that we could all go as a family.
Kept Zach home from preschool so I wouldn't be picking up a sweaty, dirty kid with hair askew.
4 days before the shoot, bought clothes at Gymboree (I never shop there, usually) and of course they are all coordinating and adorable.
Ironed for one hour (!!!) clothes for myself, Jeff and three kids. Oh, and there are 3 different wardrobe changes. That's about 22 pieces of clothing (some bottoms would remain the same).
Adjusted the nap schedule...twins up 45 minutes early from their first nap so they'd go down at a decent hour for their second.
Got Zach to take a nap at the regularly appointed time.
Figured out when I would get ready. Showered, did hair, got make up done.
Did I mention it was probably one of two best hair days of the year? Oh and my make up was awesome.
Packed non-messy snacks...and messy ones for after the shoot.
Packed the car with the wagon and diaper bag (backpack).
Packed the car with all of the freshly ironed clothes, and props (baseball bat).

So, we get there. Early. Nice.

I'm a bag of stress even though I've told myself not to be. It's just I've wanted this for so long and for it to go well. I tell Jeff, "You know how I get. I'm crazy. Please just do as I say right now."

It all went down like this:

I was sweating within 3 minutes of getting there. It must have been 90 degrees in there. I felt my hair going flat, my mascara running and my patience wearing very thin.
Trevor decided that this was not his idea of fun and proceeded to be pissed off and scream/wail/cry for the rest of the time.
Dylan, on the other hand was a happy little guy...however, did not want to stay put anywhere and was super excited to explore every nook and cranny of Picture People.
Zachary, decided that he didn't want to go on the merry-go-round after the photo shoot (my bribery) and decided to be terrible. Would not listen. Would not cooperate. Threw balls, climbed on everything. If there was a chandelier he would have swung from it.
Jeff apparently didn't see that I needed help and thought Zach was a wonderful child, so all the discipline was coming from me...cuz' that's always fun.

O.M.G.

In the end, we didn't do any outfit changes. They never wore the cute Gymboree clothes. The bat we brought was used but those pictures weren't good. I selected two prints out of all that we took.

I knew it wasn't going well when the 20 year old photographer was waving a small brown football at the kids saying "woo-hoo boys" and I said to her, (my voice taking on a hysterical lilt) "Don't you have a sparkly pom-pom or something??!!"

Here is the end result.

Amazing I don't look as psychotic as I was feeling...weird.

Holy Rashes, Batman!

2010-08-19T15:12:00.001-07:00

So sorry I didn't blog last night. It was a terrible day. We took the kids to Picture People for our first ever professional photo shoot. It did not go well. More about that in another post.
When we got home from said hellish evening, Jeff told me to go and have a drink and pick out the pictures at the studio. Ummm, ok. Out I went. I called my friend, Julie to meet me. We weren't there 3 minutes when my cell phone rings and Jeff tells me that Trevor has some sort of rash. I relay the conversation to Julie, who has 2 kids and is a seasoned pro. She tells us to give him some Benadryl and wait it out. His breathing wasn't affected and he didn't seem to be in pain. Jeff had called the Dr and was getting the same advice. I came home an hour later, when the kids were already in bed, so I didn't really see him. We checked on him several times in the night, but it was always dark.
Fast forward to this morning, I get Trevor out of his crib before I run out the door to work. His face is swollen, there's some redness on his body but nothing horrible.
Jeff ended up taking him in, the Dr gave him an oral steroid and said he should be better by Monday. It's either a reaction to food (nothing new was given to him), to something (like maybe the feather duster they were tickling him with at Picture People?) or a reaction to a virus. We don't know the culprit.
But this is what I came home to this afternoon:
Prepare yourselves for some nudity...

I was home for about 37 seconds when I saw him itching, so back out the door I ran to get some topical Benadryl and Calamine Lotion for the itching. He still doesn't seem bothered by it, thank goodness.
I think I'll give him an oatmeal bath later. Poor guy. We have a busy weekend and I don't think I want to take him out! He's not contagious but he looks like a leper! Yikes!

I'm Martha-Freakin'-Stewart

2010-08-17T21:00:00.001-07:00

I just got the kids to bed at 8 and you may wonder what I do with my time on a typical Tuesday evening after bedtime for 3 monkeys?
I make a peach cobbler.
Not even for myself, which I'm pretty bummed about at the moment because it smells delicious right about now!
My neighbor has a peach tree and he's been bringing me some yummy fruit by the truckload. I told him I'd make him a peach cobbler. Over the weekend he brought over some peaches, all cut up and peeled, so I think he was really looking forward to it, haha.

In other blogworthy news, Jeff is out of town (will be home late tonight) and I received this text from him today while I was working:

I'll be home late. The meeting is over at 5 and then we're having dinner poolside.

Hey, Jeff. Next time leave the "dinner poolside" part out. I'm having a soggy bowl of Cheerios because I forgot to eat dinner (as I fed my brood) and realized just now that I'm STARVING.

Camping Again at Carp

2010-08-16T22:06:00.000-07:00

Do we do anything else??
No.
There's your answer.
A few weeks ago we went to Carpinteria State beach again for 5 days of camping. We went with two other families, The Stein Family, who you may remember was with us last time. We also went with the Thompson Family, Jason, Linda, Abby (8) and Theo (4). Jason and Jeff are peers at Chili's.
We had a great time. Lots of time at the beach, of course. We also took the train up to Santa Barbara again but this time we went to the zoo. I love the SB zoo, it's small, so clean, you can't beat the weather, etc. Zach even fed a giraffe and loved it! (He gets that from me).
I tell you, it's pretty draining camping with 3 kids under 4. I've been pretty ready to come home these last two trips and that's unlike me. Jeff keeps telling me only another year and a half until it gets much easier. He's right, if they're anything like their brother. I can just picture the 3 of them, standing on their boogie boards waiting for the perfect wave.
Zach and Theo were like two peas in a pod. Theo's almost 5, and a tough kid! You should see this slugger swing a bat!! Ferocious athlete, for sure.
Mia and Zach got along much better this time and the three of them were often together. I think Theo acted as the buffer a bit.
I made a slideshow...easier that way.
Enjoy!

Short and Sweet

2010-08-15T21:33:00.000-07:00

That's what this post is going to be.
Just logged 750 miles on my car this weekend! Whew! Today me, Cheri and Brandon went to breakfast at this awesome place called "Flames". I had banana and caramel french toast with whipped cream. Figured I ate like ka-ka all weekend, why should I stop today? It was a-maz-ing.
Then we walked to the hotel Cheri works at and she showed me around. It's beautiful and built in 1936 (I think). It's recognized as a historic hotel and has wonderful details and architecture. Then we drove over to Brandon's showroom (he's a cabinet maker) where he has a bunch of different displays and pieces that he's built. He's very talented and I wish they lived closer so I could scheme some cabinets for the kids bathroom!
I then was on my way but did manage to pull of at the Gilroy outlet mall and do some shopping. I don't get a chance to go to the outlets often so I figured I'd better do it while I had the chance. Unfortunately it's Sunday, so the place was PACKED! I ended up staying much longer than I expected to and walked a lot more than my feet liked. I did, however get some great stuff for me and some tops for the boys that I hope to dress them in when I take them to have professional pictures done. I don't know when that's going to happen....I've been trying to find a weekday with Jeff when we can all go and maybe get a family pic in too, but it just doesn't seem to be happening. Maybe now that I have the clothes....we'll see....if worst comes to worst I'll just have to take the boys in by themselves and get them photographed.
When I got home, I was unloading the car of my loot and out bounds Zach in his jammies. He heard the front door and Jeff must have told him it was me. Out he comes, runs to me, gives me a BIG hug and says, "Mommy! You came back to me! I'm so happy!"
That alone was worth being gone for 2 1/2 days.

Bridal Shower, Jazz and Onion Rings

2010-08-14T21:32:00.001-07:00

We went to Cheri's bridal shower today. It was fabulous and fun! They made out like bandits, that's for sure. We then went to the Jazz festival in San Jose. Actually we went to a wine tasting and then walked thru the festival to get to The Old Wagon. Best darn onion rings ever!
Again, a pic of the happy couple.

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San Jose

2010-08-13T22:20:00.001-07:00

So I'm in San Jose for my BFF's bridal shower (Cheri). I made it in 4.5 hrs, which was great. My mini vacay started the second I got in the car and didn't hear the word "mommy".
We went to dinner with Cheri's dad and stepmom. Now we're hanging out drinking wine. Yay us. Here's the soon to be the marrieds

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No Nap?

2010-08-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

Zach is starting to tell us he doesn't want to take a nap. This is obviously not a good thing. Today is Thursday, so Jeff does the kid wrangling until about 2pm when I get home from work. We then high five and he goes to do his bread winning duties. He tells me Zach didn't want to nap today. Sometimes it's not an issue. Today was not one of those days. He was whining, crying for no apparent reason and generally not a joy to be around come 5 pm. I had already decided to take the kids to the park so I was already half out the door when he decided to have a full blown meltdown. Yay.
I told him that he didn't deserve to go to the park tonight but the brothers wanted to go do he would have to tag along.
This is what happened about 2 minutes into the 9 minute drive to the park.

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Ummmm...

2010-08-11T22:04:00.001-07:00

I'm tired and I have nothing to say. Sorry for the lame blog post.

Here's a pic to make you smile:

Playing Favorites

2010-08-10T20:24:00.000-07:00

Sometimes people ask me if I have a favorite, as in child. I always thought my brother was my parent's favorite growing up, which led to some internalized sibling rivalry. And he may have been for a while because as I understand it, I was not an easy baby. Nor an easy child. And if you've known me for a long time, you'll know I wasn't an easy teenager either.

I realize, now that I'm a mom. You don't really have favorites, per se. Instead, I have favorite (and not so favorite) moments of each child during different times of the day.
For example:

Favorite moments with Zach are at night when we're cuddling in bed and he says "I love you, Mommy" without being provoked. He says this while stroking my cheek. Other favorites are when I hear him playing so nicely with his brothers when he doesn't know I'm listening. Or when he rides his bike like a speed demon, looking back at me to make sure I'm watching...and his smile is about 3 feet wide.
Unfavorite moments are when he's whining at me. Or saying "Mommy" 9800 times a day. In a row. Or when he won't listen. Or when he doesn't play with his brothers so nicely and pushes them over and they hit their head on the floor.

Favorite moments with Trevor are when he gives me those break your heart smiles. Or when he bear crawls. Or when he splashes in the water like a maniac. Or when he plays with Dylan and they make each other laugh.
Unfavorite moments are brushing his teeth (WWF). When he pulls my hair out by the root. When he does his whiny noise all.day.long.

Favorite moments with Dylan are when he climbs up me like a spider monkey. Or when we play chase me chase me down the hall and he crawls after me making squealing noises. Or when he giggles like Woody Woodpecker. And when he bounces. On everything. Including me.
Unfavorite moments are when he bites me. Hard. Or when he refuses to eat his bottle. Or when he chucks his pacifier(s) out of his crib and then gets pissed off because he can't find them and screams.

Generally speaking, my favorites far outweigh the unfavorites. I don't have a favorite son, I have favorite moments with each of them. Sometimes, I don't have any faves for a whole day with Zach (that's been a while, thank goodness!) but I can guarantee he'll make up for it the next day and give me double faves.

Trevor and Dylan's 1 Year Check Up

2010-08-09T15:18:00.000-07:00

Trevor and Dylan had their 1 year well check today. This is how they usually appear.

It took about 3 minutes into their appointment for them to shed their clothes and turn into this
I don't think my expectations are particularly lofty. I scheduled this appointment right after their first nap of the day, when they are usually quite happy and willing to perform. Meaning, I wanted them to be able to wave hi (Dylan), chatter away (Dylan) and give heartbreaking smiles (Trevor). Why else would you have children if not to train them like seals?

Usually I take them in the stroller. This always seems like a great idea in the beginning, but it quickly turns into me shoving crackers at them while they scoot/strangle themselves in it as well as turn their crackers/wagon wheels/whatever else I shove at them into powder and throw it on the floor at the peds office.

This time I got smarter. Forget the stroller, I'm bringing the wagon, which they love. I'm also bringing their sippy cups, toys and their bottles which they didn't finish at home. Of course I'm armed with baggies of snacks.

All is going well. Trevor is standing without being coerced. A+ for holding the bottle at the same time. Thank you trained seal. Dylan is being is sweet, jovial, chatterbox self, as if on cue.

This is the point that it all went awry

This was the typical pose of the entire visit. I might as well have brought those monkeys into the pediatrician. There was wrestling, wrangling, headlocking...there were wails, screams, fits...

even her most tried and true techniques were given this look:
And, as usual, 2nd/3rd child syndrome occurs by this example. 1st child, I wouldn't even let him touch this stuff. I work in a dental office. I know how often the coiled cord gets cleaned. 2nd and 3rd child syndrome is: I doon't care what he touches as long as he isn't screaming or falling off the table!

Now mind you, not only was I prepared with the kids, I prepared myself as well. I put makeup on, I put some product in my hair with the intention of having "casual, California surfer girl" hair. I had a nice top on. I even lotioned my legs!!! First time in weeks they weren't ashy! All of this was done to make it look like I'm not some tired, haggard mom. Like I've got it allllll together. Like, having 3 kids under 4 is child's play. Please.

What ended up happening was:

I left late to the appointment, so my hair was still wet. -2 points
I remembered when I got to the appointment that I'd forgotten to brush my teeth. Ok, my outfit was cute, but I had "kill you in your sleep" breath.
It took about 5 minutes before I had graham cracker/wagon wheel/triscut paste smeared all over my shirt.
I took the clip out of my hair on the way to the office so it would dry, and forgot to bring it in with me. My casual, California surfer girl hair was now frizzy, unkempt and *gasp* haggard.

I looked exactly like the thing I was trying to avoid.

Did I mention my two sweet angels screamed/wailed and had the exact definition of a conniption fit? The only thing that was missing was one of them having explosive diarrhea while on the scale.

Haggard. Unkempt. Exhausted. With food stains on my clothes and smeared across my cheek.

Freakin' awesome.

Anyway, here are the details of their check up.

They each got 2 shots. Don't remember what they were. Trevor screamed like we ripped off his pinkie toe. The screaming lasted until we were in the parking lot. Dylan cried for a second.
They are hitting all their appropriate milestones. Being preemies, they really aren't that far behind if at all. Yay for that.
Trevor has a little issue with his...um...scrotum. Yes, you read that right. I said scrotum. It's always been huge. His scrotum, not his penis ( Jeff's peacock feathers are not out). It's something we've hoped would resolve itself by age 1. It hasn't. We have to see a pediatric urologist to see what the deal is. Hopefully it's just fluid. Could be a hernia. Either one will need surgery. Not good news, but I'm not going to freak out until we have further exams.

Trevor

Height: 29.75inches 40th %ile, Weight: 21.11oz 28th %ile, Head: 18.5 55 %ile

Dylan

Height: 30 inches 49 %ile, Weight: 20.11oz 15th %ile, Head: 18.25 44%ile

Weird, because Dylan has a huge cranium. I thought for sure they'd measure and say "Holy Mother of God, he's off the charts!!!" Plus, I think Trevor is a smidge taller than Trevor, so I think they got the measurements wrong...but who wouldn't with 2 angry monkeys in the room! I'm surprised they didn't just say "Get out. We're tired."

Yo Ho, Yo Ho, a Pirate's Life for Me

2010-08-08T08:19:00.000-07:00

Not to be outdone by his patch wearing brother, Dylan, Zach decided to don his pirate gear for breakfast one morning.

The big bad pirate giving his best "come hither" look

Even big bad pirates need to eat....their multigrain frozen waffles!

I Don't Get It

2010-08-07T21:35:00.001-07:00

So, I've been trying to post all day and I keep getting an error message saying I've used up all my photo storage space. I need to add more.
Whhhhhhaaaaaa?
I don't get it.
So, I figure I'll hit the couple buttons they prompt me to, see how many oodles of cash they want me to spend, and then decide if I'm going to do it.
Not because I'm all computer savvy-smarty pants, but because my computer told me to.
Turns out, they only want $5 from me a year, "they" being the Google Gods.
I figure, what the hey, for $5 I'll do it, but I still don't really get it.
So, no pictures tonight. It takes 24 hrs to process....so they say...as some hacker rings up my AMEX bill at Best Buy.
We shall see.

In other no picture news, Jeff is in Vegas until Monday for a friend's 40th birthday. They ate at Lawry's tonight.
I ate the rest of my kids macaroni and cheese, standing up. In two minutes. Didn't even taste it. Then I went to the park and walked around with macaroni and watermelon remnants on my white shirt...cuz I'm classy.
Just sayin'.

What My Day is Really Like

2010-08-06T11:51:00.000-07:00

What? My Child is Naked Again, You Say?

2010-08-05T21:04:00.000-07:00

About a month ago, my friend, Amy and two of her three kids came over for a little swim time. Frances-Amelia is turned 4 in June, so she's a little older than Zach, but they play together great. Here's Amy with Dylan. Amy just had shoulder surgery, hence the bandages on her arm.

Zach and his cougar, Frankie.
Yes, I do intend to show them this picture as they're walking out the door to prom.

*Sigh*

Young love.

If you haven't already figured it out, Zach is naked about 60% of the time. As a matter of fact, it was brought to my attention that in a cute pic from the twins birthday party, he's naked as a jaybird. And I didn't even notice.

Splashin' Around

2010-08-04T10:30:00.000-07:00

For the boys birthday, Nana and Papa got them a splash pool.
Great gift! They love it!

It's also very good for clearing out sinuses
Hey brudder....what'cha doin'?

Ker plunk
I love my new splash pool
And I love blowing snot bubbles

Keep trying, Dylan! You'll catch it!

Shredded! Ripped! Yoked!

2010-08-03T20:30:00.001-07:00

These are three adjectives that will be used to describe me in 30 days.
Why, you ask?
It's because after a particularly bad moment of seeing myself in full length mirrors and very bad lighting in the Target fitting rooms, I decided to get...
*insert big booming voice here*
"Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred"

This DVD almost guarantees that if I do the workouts for 30 days in a row, I'll look like the super duper hot chicks in the video.

I've had the DVD for about 3 weeks now and I finally just opened it yesterday to begin my metamorphosis into the *shredded*ripped*yoked* chick that I am deep down inside.

See what happens in a woman's world is this:

Go to Target all happy because you're alone and about to try on clothes without 1/2/3 impatient kids with you.
Get disgusted with yourself 3.5 minutes into the try-on orgy of Target fashion.
Try and suck in, inflate or deflate the disgusting parts.
Give up and stand in the most unflattering pose and make vomiting sounds as you look at your body.
Put your old dumb clothes on, dump the fab Target fashion in a heap on the crabby fitting room attendant and glare.
Go to the athletic part of store, all motivated and such, and buy the *insert big booming voice again* "Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred DVD"
Allow 3 weeks to go by. In this 3 weeks, you are busy planning and hosting 1 year old birthday parties, having guests at your home, having a cold, cleaning, packing for camping, camp for nearly a week, etc. In this time, you have also forgotten how disgusting your body looks because 1. you had some good hair days in there a few times. 2. You were at the beach where you saw way more flawed bodies than your own.
Start to feel good about yourself again.
Go to Target. Repeat steps 1-5.
Instead of going to the athletic section of the store this time, you head straight to the wine aisle.
Purchase a playground ball and a bottle of Chardonnay. Try to look nonchalant as you eyed up and down by the curious, size 0 checkout girl.
Go to friend's house and chit chat and forget how disgusting you are once again.

So, I did the first day of the DVD yesterday. It was great! I hung in there, I felt good! My body trembled for 2 hours afterwards but it was a good "get healthy, look less disgusting" kind of tremble.

Today.....I can't bend down. My body hurts. Especially my legs.

Jillian Michaels kicked my ass.

So, because I can't bend down to pick up a sippy cup without just teetering over, I'm taking a day, and will continue the *insert big booming voice* "Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred" tomorrow.

Trevor and Dylan are 1!

2010-08-02T15:37:00.001-07:00

Ok, here's the problem with me and my blog.
I take TOO MANY DARN PICTURES and it take me forever to make slideshows and insert images!!!!
Forgive my tardiness (again...same ol' song and dance, right?)
I will say, I'm accepting my friend Heather's challenge of having a new blog post every day of August (except for Aug 1st because I only read of her challenge today, the 2nd). I have a lot to say and if I could just make it a priority instead of watching my DVR'd Mad Men (YAY for the new season!), it will not be a problem.....
I digress. Let's get down to business.

The twins turned 1! How in the world did that happen?? I truly have no idea. It seems like just yesterday I was going to the hospital every day to see them and crossing my fingers I'd be able to take them home quickly. At the same time, it seems like 1000 years ago. The middle of the night feedings, all three of them, seem like ancient history. Truth be told, it was such a blur and we walked around so sleep deprived, it was an actual blur because we were both only 1/4 present.
But, we made it! And look at us now! The boys are thriving, (as are we,) they are healthy, they're hitting their milestones, they sleep great, the eat even better and they're happy boys. What more could I ask for? Nothing. Life is good.

Their party was awesome. It was a swim party. No one drowned or got hurt so it was a major success.
We had my parents here, my brother and his family here and my BFF Cheri here, too. They all stayed at our place...some stayed in our trailer parked on the street in front of our house 'cuz we're ghetto like that.

My sweetheart, Dylan. I call him Dyl-ie. He has 8 teeth with all of his 1st molars coming in at the same time and I didn't even notice until 3 of them were erupting. (2nd & 3rd child syndrome). His hair is short, short, short. And blond. He has the longest eyelashes ever. He giggles like Woody Woodpecker. He loves to climb things. He's not as strong as his brother, but he makes up for it in his bouncing skills. LOVES to bounce. He also is my sickie with his breathing issues (the nebulizer is never put away), when he gets a cold, you can see it in his eyes and attitude. He has sensitive skin and a slight lazy eye. He's also a chatterbox.My super duper adorable ham-o-licious, Trevor. He has 8 teeth. He always smiles, just like this picture. He has the most beautiful eyes and a big ol' ba-donk-a-donk. His hair is darker than Dylan's, but is much longer. He crawls like you lit his tush on fire...very fast. He also is a professional bear crawler. He grunts and yells when he wants something or if you tell him "no". I have a feeling this will be the subject of many a post in the future. He likes to hit...that will lose it's novelty soon, I'm sure. I have a feeling he'll be my athlete. He has a belly laugh like no tomorrow.
Zach and his cousin, Troy (my brother's son, 6y.o.)

The cake we served to guests. The twins had their own giant cupcakes to...ahem...eat.
Our family of five...which really still stops me in my tracks sometimes.
Molly and Hayden. We met at My Gym, where we took our older kids. We were prego at the same time, me with the twins and she with Hayden. We enjoyed bitching about our pregnancies to each other because she loves being prego as much as me (which is not.at.all)
Luke
Dylan in the pool

Trevor and Jeff
Rory and Ella
Leah and Daniel (Rory's parents)Bob and JJ
Sebastian and Xander (Leah and Daniel's older boys)After giving JJ some attention, Bob decided to offer Trevor some Pina Colada. Thanks Bob, he slept great that night!

My folks, Nana and Papa
(Papa, AKA mixologist of the day! Thanks for those pina coladas!! The best!)Zach's cousin, Aspen (Jeff's sister's daughter, 16 mo.)
Aidan, Troy, Zach. Three times the trouble, I'm sure)
Lenore (Jeff's mom, Grandma), Carolyn and Jules (Jack's, AKA Grandpa's cousins)Me and DylanMy brother, Scott and his wife, Renee

Me and my BFF, Cheri (soon to be an old married!!)
My brother, Scott and Trevor ( I think he could pass as his son! They even have the same cleft in their chin!)
Beautiful Rina and her son, Knox (I've never seen her take a bad picture, btw. So I hate her.)

Scott and the birthday boys
After all that sugar with the cake, why not give them more!?

Scott and Troy
Zach and Uncle Scott
My brother, Cheri and I got into a major war in the pool after the party ended. Here's the part where Scott totally remembered he was playing with girls and went CUJO on our asses.

I wonder how Cheri's concussion is doing.

Here's the banner I made for the boys. I made Zach's birthday banner, too. I hang it every year and just change the number. I had told Jeff, "I just don't have time to do anything. I haven't even made them a banner...oh well". To which he replies, "Jenn! You have to make them their own birthday banner! They didn't have a baby naming (like a Christening), they don't have a baby book! You can't jip them out of a banner!"

So I made one.
Opening presents the next morning. "Hurry and unravel the 48 little twisty ties that hold this 3oz. toy to it's package, Uncle Scott!"
Cousin Troy wanted to see Trevor in this gift bag. Trevor loved it for about .00012 seconds.

Jeff and Troy
Cousins! They really love each other and play well together. Yes, those are Woody jammies. They're awesome.Here's a slideshow of the how the 1st birthday cakes went down.

All I can say is W-O-W.

Arrrrggh! Dylan the Pirate

2010-07-19T09:20:00.000-07:00

When the babies were born premature, they were at risk of having ROP, which is an eye problem that affects babies who were low on their oxygen levels at birth. They were tested twice and all was well. At 4 months, I had them evaluated by a pediatric opthamologist. There were two reasons I did this...one, I was told to by my pediatrician because they were preemies, and two, I noticed Dylan had a lazy eye. It wasn't happening all the time but it was noticeable. Well, Trevor was fine and the doctor didn't see anything on Dylan. I brought Dylan back in at 6 months for another check and the lazy eye was undetecable. Whew! Check one more thing off our "preemie list".

Well, 2 months ago, Dylan had another cold. While he was sick, the lazy eye came back in full force. It was almost as if his body was weakend due to the illness, which made all his muscles "lazy" or lax. I finally got him in to be reevaluated by the P.O. and he finally saw for himself the lazy eye. He recommended we patch the good eye to make the lazy eye work harder and hopefully get stronger. Also, what can happen left untreated is he'd start to favor the "good eye" and over time the lazy one would get lazier and lazier.

Now, because I have Google-itis, I already knew of this treatment and assumed this would be in our future. I was fine with it but nervous with how I was going to keep an eye patch on this kid...he won't let me put a hat on his huge cranium! Turns out the eye patch is really a big band-aid, not an eye patch with a string like I was picturing. Anyway, Dylan only has to have it on for an hour a day and we'll see the doctor again in 2 weeks. He's adjusting to it and it seems to only bug him for a few minutes after I first put it on.

When Zach first saw him he says, "Mom! What's on Dylan's eye?!" I said, "Oh, Dylan has a funny eye so this eye patch will help it get better." He says to Dylan, "Hey Dylan! You look like a pirate!!