My Strange Little Alessa

"Mommy! Take a picture of me!"
Bewildered at the sight of my child sprawled across the family room floor I asked her, "What am I taking a picture OF Alessa?"
And she replied, "Floor running!"

The Chosen One

Strange Things You Find After Caleigh Has Been Playing #1

"It has been foretold that after much searching, the 3 Wise Creatures - Unicorn, Handsome Prince & Dragon - will find the chosen one lying in a manger. He will rise up and smite the villians of Gotham City and there will be much rejoicing."

Vacation Day 10: Monterey Bay

We took the girls to the Monterey Bay Aquarium today. Two lessons learned though:

1) Always buy your tickets through AAA - not only are they cheaper, but it saves you having to stand in line for a good 45 minutes.
2) Do not try to make the drive down & back in one day. You will do nothing but become cranky and begin to strongly dislike each other by about Fairfield on the way back :) He who said, "Life is not about the destination, but the journey" never drove southbound on I-5.

We felt blessed once again that the girls are such great travelers. They chatted and colored & played with playdoh on their trays on the way down. At one point Caleigh exclaimed, "Look! A zombie! He wants to dance."

With that said, the girls had a fantastic time there. We spent a good 3 hours there & saw EVERYTHING there was to see. Particular favorites of the girls were the sea cucumbers, the sea horses & the river otters.

It was said river otters that became the most memorable and the girls would tell everyone who would listen about what they had experienced. As a "yeah, these fellows are certainly cute, but you wouldn't want to have one for a pet" warning, there was a little container in front of the exhibit that had a sample of what otters use to mark territory - a mixture of musk and, well, you know. For days afterward, the first thing the girls would say when someone asked them if they had fun at the aquarium was, "We smelled otter poop!"

After the aquarium, we had dinner at Bubba Gump's and ate while watching the seals disappear & resurface and the birds playing on the breeze. On the way home, we stopped at a little beach for a quick romp in the surf. Alessa was not too keen on the big waves.

We had a long, fun, chilly, humorous, sandy day.

Vacation Day 9: Christy's Mental Hang-Up

I've realized - as the date is actually September 12 and not July as it states - that my mind has a tendency to get hung up on something and not let go. At all.

For example, I was having a hard time summing up the rest of this "self imposed vacation" I've been chronicling. I got stuck on our one night trip up to Tahoe with the Clems and there's where I've stayed... for 7 weeks. Therefore, I'll be doing the much abridged version of the last few weeks with the promise to myself that I'll be a less harsh critic toward myself and my posts. So....

We spend the night up at the Lemos' cabin in Tahoe with the Clems. We all had a great time relaxing & hanging out.

Uncle Kaka is such a good role model :)

We went to the stream profile at the Rainbow Trail.

Amy was enthralled with the girls and they with her. Whenever the girls came into view, she would giggle, reach out & attempt to pull the girls in for a wet, open-mouthed kiss if they ventured near.

Vacation Day 5: Exploring the Great Outdoors

The girls had their first trip to Effie Yeaw Nature Center today. I feel like a terrible parent having waited so long to take them.

We spied brazen turkeys the size of large dogs sauntering through the grass and nervous jackrabbits darting across the path. A pair of velvet-antlered bucks stopped their halfhearted tussle to look at the girls quizzically before bounding away to a more private sparring ground. The girls listened in wonder, sagely nodding their little heads as we talked about oak galls and coyotes, tule huts and deer beds. They stopped short at a high scream and watched a pair of red-shouldered hawks take to wing and circle overhead. They identified scrub jays and magpies by sight, feather & call.

As they got in their car seats, Alessa sighed and stated, "Mommy, love this place." My girls the Naturalists - I don't know where they get it :)

Vacation Day 4: Martinez

This morning I was reminded again of what excellent travelers my girls are. We drove to Martinez to visit my sister-in-law & nephews. The drive which usually takes about 1 1/4 hours ended up taking over 2 when there were 2 accidents on I-80 within half a mile of each other. Not a single complaint, not a solitary "ARE WE THERE YET!?!?!" and only 2 potty stops :)

With the drive behind us, the girls and Owen gleefully greeted each other & ran into his bedroom hit it with the tornado that only the presence of three 3 year olds possesses. We chatted with my sister-in-law for a bit and headed out the door for Happy Meals and the park. The children had a great time & we caught up with Noey while playing with my new nephew.

Vacation Day 3: Backyard Playday

We drag out 3 inflatable wading pools, the water table & the little trampoline. We toss plastic cups & toys in the water & strew balls across the grass. We bring out the wagon & uncover the sandbox. Then we wait.

Soon the sound of minivan doors can be heard on the street and excited squeals enter the yard as one by one 7 or 8 sets of twins and their families come tumbling through the gate. Happy chaos ensues for the next 2 1/2 hours as the children play together, make up games and move from one mom to the next - grazing on goldfish, strawberries or Pirate's Booty.

We moms get a few hours of adult socialization knowing our little ones are safe in an enclosed area - aka completely fenced with latched gates. One of the moms brings her infant and we get our Baby Lust sated - for the time being.

Soon eyes are being rubbed and tempers shorten. The Witching Hour/Naptime Meltdown approaches. Time to clean up - everything is more fun as a game - let's see how fast we can empty the wading pools with these cups! Many hands make light work. Popcicles are presented as a reward and the sticky bunch reluctantly poses for a snapshot.

As as fast as it began, it's over. The only sign of the morning's enjoyment is a patch of flattened grass where blankets were once spread.

Vacation Day 1: Color Me Mine

We started out our ten day "Family Vacation" with something fun and free. This morning we went to story time at "Color Me Mine" in Folsom. They hold these events each month and the girls have a blast. A story is read and then the children get to paint a little ceramic sculpture that pertains to the book. April's was "Olivia" and they all painted a pig and May was "Click Clack Moo, Cows That Type" and they painted a cow.

Alessa's Creations

Caleigh's Creations

This month's story was "Elmer The Elephant" so they painted - you guessed it - an elephant. It's always very interesting to watch parents and children interact. Some parent's are VERY Type A and figure, if it's coming home with us, it had better look perfect. The result of that way of thinking is that they constantly direct their children's work. "Paint the ears (insert color here)." "You need to fill in that spot by its tail." "No! You already painted there - paint somewhere else." My favorites are the parents who either go in afterward and "touch up" or just plain end up taking over the project. Not us.

You should see the look of disdain from Mrs. Type A as our girls paint their creatures however the mood strikes them. You can almost hear Mr. Type A as he thinks "I wouldn't want to be the one who takes THAT home."

Art - especially that of children - is more about the process than the product. The girls learn what colors result from mixing others together, socialize with other children (when they aren't being hounded by their parents) & feel the joy of creating something all by themselves.

Name

"My name is C-A-L-E-I-G-H, but most people call me Caleigh."

:::sigh:::

The Visitor

This afternoon around 3:45, I was working on the computer and heard a scrub jay squawking in the tree. I looked out and saw a ringed tail in the crotch of our big maple and went outside to try and frighten away my neighbor's d@mn cat. I banged on the screen door and there was no response from the cat. I came out the back door and ran at the tree, angry to have to come out in the 100+ degree weather. As I reached out to drum my hands on the tree a foot below the "cat", I saw an unhappy masked face looking down at me.

"Whoa," I breathed and slowly backed away. The creature looked at me and I could almost see it sigh as it begrudgingly climbed higher into the tree. I came back inside and tried calling my conservation biologist friend with no luck. I looked online with an awful feeling in the pit of my stomach and found nothing but unhappy words about finding raccoons in daylight hours. With a heavy heart, I finally called the sheriff's non-emergency line/animal control... only to have it ring for a HALF AN HOUR. God bless speaker phone, otherwise I'd have been locked in one place and that's dangerous while watching twins. Secretly, I was glad I couldn't get ahold of animal control. Even if there's nothing wrong with the poor guy, I don't want to think of what MIGHT happen once he's in one of those traps.

The girls got up at about 4 and I forgot about the poor overheated creature while I got them a snack, played for a while and started dinner. I looked outside. No raccoon. I bravely ventured out to the patio. No raccoon even higher. I went out on the lawn and searched for any sign that the raccoon was up in the tree. No Sparky... er, no raccoon. I went about my business and continued my evening as normal. After putting the girls down at 8, on a whim I turned on the patio lights. There, from the crotch of the tree...

:::sigh::: If he's still there tomorrow, I'll call animal control again :(

ZOMBIES!!!

:::sigh::: I wish I knew how to hack into CalTrans roadsigns. Granted, mostly it's for spelling mistakes, but this would be even cooler.

Traveling with Toddlers

We have been blessed with fantastic travelers. The girls love to keep each other amused, sing to themselves & even just watch out the window as we ride along. With my vacation rapidly approaching, I feel so very thankful for the knowledge that day trips - and even long car rides - aren't things to dread in the Taylor family. What little bumps in the road occur, we have little items of convenience to ease the way. My secrets?

1) The Travel Potty
(www.onestepahead.com ~$25)

I LOVE this thing. There has rarely been a ride in the car that I have not sung praises to the travel potty...that sounds strange. There have been many, many, MANY times that we have said thankful prayers that it's in the back of the van - all we've had to do is pull over in a parking lot/next off ramp and be done with it.

For twin families it's a MUST. I can't count the number of times that I've been out with my girls by myself, gotten them both strapped into their carseats and one of them says - everyone together now - "I need to go potty!" With this wonderful little invention I don't have to haul them both back out of the car and into a suitable bathroom.

The travel potty holds up to 50 lbs, uses plain gallon-sized ziplock bags and folds down to about the size of a laptop. I usually keep it in the very back of the minivan (so I can just raise the hatch, have them do their business & be finished), but I've found that in a pinch/nighttime/incliment weather, it'll fit just fine on the floor directly behind the center console.

A word of warning, ALWAYS remember to zip up the bag before continuing to drive... hypothetically speaking of course...

2) Taby Trays
(www.onestepahead.com ~$20)

Taby Trays are fantastic for everyday car rides or long trips. The tray is secured by a strap that is placed UNDER the carseat or booster seat. With a clip on each side, it enables you to unsnap one side and leave the tray on the floor between the seats (in the case of captain's chairs like in our minivan) or you can remove the tray completely, leaving the strap under the carseat/boosterseat. The best part is that it "meets all automotive safety standards for use in a moving vehicle".

The Taby Tray has a raised lip all the way around it preventing things from rolling off, as well as a cup holder on the left (this works with MOST sippy cups but definitely not all - however, it does work with the milk containers from fast food restaurants :::sigh:::). It also has a little well at the top of the tray (like the old pencil wells on desks), but it isn't very big/deep. The surface is big enough for even an open coloring book and is easy wiped off (even crayon).

3) Triangular Crayons
(Target, Walmart, etc ~$3)

I know, I know, the Taby Tray has a lip on it and keeps crayons from falling on the floor, but for the most part, these stay where they're set down instead of rolling to the bottom and possibly onto their lap. Besides, I bring these into restaurants/the doctor's office/anywhere with a wait and I don't have to worry about crawling around on my hands and knees looking for a lost crayon.

And last, but certainly not least...
4) The Dollar Tree
(or to those of us in the teaching profession "The 90¢ Tree")

I know, it's not really a THING, but if we're going to be on a trip longer than about 2 hours, we'll stockpile a few little odds & ends books and toys for the girls to play with. The key is:
a) The book/toy must be new (or at least out of sight/mind for a few months ahead of time).
b) They must be able to play with it IN the car (no waiting).
c) It must be wrapped in some way (we use old tissue paper that already has tears in it and can't be used for regular gifts).

Other than these little sanity savers, we stop and run around for about 15 minutes every hour and a half to two hours (bubbles, ribbon sticks, sidewalk chalk) and, if all else fails, there's always good old Jack's Big Music Show on the portable DVD player (though, we've learned not to even have the player in sight unless all has hit the fan).

The Curse of Being a Teacher...

...is how much errors bother you. For example:

*"Where are they at?" YOU DON'T NEED TO SAY "AT"!!!
*"Fustrated" - you're missing a consonant, you need to go find it

* And the worst of all, improper use of apostrophes. I know, I kinda sound all "no wire hangers"-ish, but it's almost painful to be driving down the road and see the sign "STrAWBErrY'S FOr SALE".

But one of my more recent little discoveries is the fact that apparently AOL News hires baboons to proofread their work. Take a look at the photo caption in the picture below. I had to read it 3 times to make sure what I was reading was correct.

"Permanently killed"? As opposed to all those times we temporarily kill something?

Bel Air Troll

A while back we were driving home from a doctor's appointment & I remembered that we had NOTHING in the fridge at home. I also remembered that we took the double stroller out of the trunk for errands the day before. I thought to myself, "We just need a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread. It'll be ok without a stroller." Let's look at this little predicament shall we?

First and foremost is the my biggest pet peeve in the universe - apparently I'm the only person in the world with 2 children under the age of 3 years old, let alone twins, because other than Costco/Sam's Club the stores with double shopping carts are few and far between. When you happen to be shopping at a store that does have some sort of double riding conveyance, it is either disgustingly grimy & filthy, a person with only one child has taken it because it's "more roomy/more fun" (as in the case of the carts with "cars" in front or back), or - and this is the one that ticks me off the most - someone with NO KIDS takes it!!!

With that said, I decided to brave going into Bel Air while holding the girls' hands - it was only 2 items, right? I was so desperate to just get this done and get home that I didn't take into consideration several things: 1) the girls have just spent the entire morning in the waiting room at the doctor's office (yea Kaiser), 2) we are already about a half an hour over when they normally have lunch, and 3) it is about 20 minutes until what is usually their naptime. Hindsight's 20/20 isn't it. Do we see where this is going?

I headed into the store and made a beeline to the bread. I was almost there. I rounded the aisle. Almost there... It was at this point that the girls decided it was far more fun to jump as a mode of transportation than it was to walk like normal WELL-BEHAVED children. I thought to myself, "Whatever, they aren't causing a scene & aren't touching anyone or anything." Got the bread. Headed for the dairy case. Luckily, there was nothing at eye level that they recognize - no Dora fruit snacks, no Blue's Clues yogurt, no easily recognizable cracker boxes.

Almost there. The girls were laughing maniacally & my stomach was tied in a knot. We reached the dairy case and I began quickly scanning the expiration dates. It was at this very moment that Alessa decided to sit on the floor, followed quickly by Caleigh. "We don't sit on the floor in the grocery store," I said as calmly as possible. Caleigh got up but not my mother's "Little Retribution". I leaned closer to Alessa and repeated myself in a low growl & she reluctantly stood up.

"Dear Lord, let me get my groceries and get out of here without a scene," became my silent mantra chanted over and over again. I whisked down the aisle with a little pair of sandals tapping quickly on each side of me. I finally reached the checkout stand, but there was no set of sandals tapping on my right. "Why?" you might ask. Well, Alessa decided she was going to try to sit on the floor again. However, I had instituted "Mommy Death Grip" and had her hand and wrist firmly in my grasp. I virtually hissed at her to stand back up. She did momentarily and then the mortifying happened.

Have you ever seen chimpanzees at the zoo? They will hold a rope with one hand then just hang and twist merrily with their feet in the air. That is what Alessa did. I shot a look to Caleigh that warned of the reprocussions if she decided to join in the escapades and hissed at Alessa again. No luck. Then I tried to ignore it -and get the heck out of the store - besides, I was next to check out. Looking back, it really wasn't a big deal - she wasn't touching anything and, other than giggling, they weren't making any noise.

However, it was at this point that the old biddy behind me addressed me with a disdainful gaze and said, "Are they YOUR children?" What was that supposed to mean? I replied, "Yes. It's almost naptime and their first time in the store without a stroller." Here's the real kicker. This woman had the audacity to respond, "Well, I think you need to keep them in a stroller a while longer." WHAT!?!?! Thanks for the input, Hag, I'll take that into consideration the next time I'm out!

The next time you see a mother struggling with her children in a store and they aren't actually bothering anyone/anything/making a racket - shoot her a smile instead of a dirty look. Chances are that she's terribly mortified as it is and would rather be ANYWHERE than where she is.

Kids Scream the Darnedest Things

Last year, I was shopping in Target to get some last minute things for a trip we were taking (I know, don't the best stories always happen in Target?). I had the girls in the double side-by-side and we were in the deodorant aisle and called Rik on my cell phone to ask if he had enough deodorant for our trip or if I should pick some up while I was thinking about it. I looked down at the girls as I closed my phone and noticed that Alessa had her shirt up over her head and was rubbing a tube of roll-on deodorant on her chest.

"Alessa!" I admonished as I took the tube away, "Put your shirt down! We're in a store! What are you doing?"
"Nipple Mommy!" she smiled. I turned the tube in my hand and there was in fact a shirtless man on the label preparing to make himself smell his pure sport best.
"No, Honey," I replied, "This is not for your nipple."
"Oh."
Then she got THAT look in her eye and all-but-shouted:
"MOMMY'S NIPPLE!!!"

I had no clue they keep the temperature so high in Target.

4th of July

This 4th of July was the first 4th of July that the girls have really participated in. The night before to 4th we decorated the wagon with things that THEY got to pick out at Dollar Tree and were TERRIBLY excited about the fact that not only were they going to get to see Aunt Jessie, but they were also to be in a parade the next morning. We all dressed in our patriotic best, loaded the wagon into the car and headed over to the Christenson's for the Sierra Oaks Annual Parade.

We have been friends with the Christensons for years and I regret that we haven't participated in the parade until now. Pledge of Allegiance, national anthem, walk the parade, picnic with music.

They organize it every year, buy all the food (some sides & desserts are donated by neighbors) and charge participants $2 for a hotdog, chips & a drink. All the proceeds go to a charity for injured soldiers.

Everyone has a great time decorating their strollers, wagons and bikes and walking 4 or 5 blocks behind a fire truck.

The children all get ample time to adore the firefighters, climb on the truck and a Jr. Firefighter badge sticker.

A great time was had by all as it was Rik's first time participating in something like this too. :)