Barbecue!

With the weather turning a bit more bearable in the last few days, today was a perfect day to enjoy a barbecue with friends. Our friends Emma and Camryn (and their mommy and au pair) invited us, along with pals Sydney and Alex (and their parents) over to their house for some great food, fun, and catching up with friends. We missed Emma and Camryn's daddy today, but he was away playing golf, so no one felt too badly for him.

Emma and Camryn's mommy is a mean cook, as evidenced by the clean plates produced by Alex and Ari. They devoured at least a half of a cheeseburger each, in addition to chips, fruit, and (of course) cookies. We were all so impressed with how polite and well-behaved all six kids were as they sat around the table eating lunch. There was no screaming, no flinging food, and no spilling, although there were a few crumbs on the ground, sure to be appreciated by Emma and Camryn's doggie!

Alex and Ari had fun playing in Emma and Camryn's play room (lots of new toys!) and with all of their buddies on the swing set:

Camryn and Ari

Emma and Camryn (can you tell they're identical twins?!)

Ari and Alex enjoy the swings

Ari and Sydney

We really enjoyed spending time with our friends and can't wait to get together again!

15 Months (or Alex & Ari, Version 1.25)

Happy 15-month birthday to Alex and Ari! To celebrate, we went to visit Daddy at work and had a family lunch at a yummy Japanese restaurant. Unfortunately, Alex and Ari weren't enamored by sushi; Alex did manage to eat rice and tofu, but Ari stuck to the cheese and pretzel crackers Mommy brought in her bag. They both devoured the animal crackers in Daddy's office, though...figures. That's OK- they'll surely make up for any deficiencies at dinner tonight.

Alex asks, "what in the world are you feeding me?"

Ari and Daddy engage in animated lunchtime conversation

Daddy and "Mini Me"

Daddy puts Ari to work at his computer

Back at home, Ari gives her brother a birthday hug

So what are Alex and Ari up to at 15 months?

Alex has expanded his vocabulary at an impressive rate. He now says words like bib, milk, up, down and cookie. This week he learned to sign the words "please" and "thank you" (he already knew the sign for "more," which he uses quite often!) He understands so much of what is said to him, and can follow directions very well. He likes to help Mommy by pressing the garage door opener button to open and close the garage. He will also put things back where he found them (on Daddy's dresser, in the trash can, etc.) when asked...but that's not to say he won't take them again in an instant. He cleans up his toys by putting them away in the toy box when we sing the "clean up" song. He can help push the stroller and often will walk places holding Mommy or Daddy's hand vs. riding in the stroller. This week he learned to climb- so now he climbs up onto the couch, the coffee table, chairs...we're trying to teach him proper etiquette, i.e., we sit on couches and we don't stand on coffee tables, but he needs plenty of reminding. Alex continues to LOVE to dance (he was boogieing to the background music in his high chair today at the restaurant) and especially likes to "get jiggy with it."

Ari's big accomplishment this month has been her progression on the walking front. She cruises all over the place and stands on her own; she's even taken a few steps by herself (see above). We are guessing it will only be a matter of weeks before she's running after her brother. Ari's vocabulary has also expanded. Her favorite word is "cookie." She can smell a cookie from a mile away, and will let you know in no uncertain terms that she wants a cookie. She also says Alex, Ari, share (as in "give me your toy") and that (as in "I want that," or "what is that"). Ari is pure sweetness: she loves giving hugs and kisses and smiles as soon as she sees a camera. But don't steal a toy from her...that's when her inner drama queen comes out. Ari's a true Mommy/Daddy's girl- she is leery of anyone else (even grandparents sometimes!) and is hesitant to go to anyone other than Mommy or Daddy. Today Ari followed her brother's lead and climbed up on the couch. This is the problem with twins: when one gets into mischief, the other usually follows.

We'll have official 15-month measurements (weights, heights, etc.) after their appointment with their pediatrician next week.

So, the fun continues...and we continue to be amazed at how much Alex and Ari change every day.

Play Date

Today was our turn to host our weekly neighborhood play date. Mommy had planned to blow up the new kiddie pool she bought for the backyard and put out some "outdoor" toys, but with the weather this morning described as "hazy, hot, and humid" (by 9:00 am) and "extremely poor" air quality, we decided it would be best to stay cool in the basement.

We ended up having great turnout (about a dozen kids in all!), including a few new faces. Alex and Ari had a lot of fun playing with all of their friends and snacking on the goodies that Mommy put out for our guests. Given genetics, it's not surprising that Ari and Alex have mastered saying the word "cookie" and the sign for "more," which they use together quite often. Here are some pictures from this morning:

Alex and Ryan try to figure out this toy:

Ari and Greg share the learning table:

Greg stops to ask Alex for directions:

Lilli and Ari share a snack:
Our weekly playgroup reminds us just how much we love our neighborhood and how much we're looking forward to having Alex and Ari grow up with all of their neighborhood friends!

Almost Recess

This morning we took advantage of the free weekly concerts offered by our city especially for kids. We hadn't been to one of the concerts yet this summer, but many of our friends had been and told us it was a great activity. So, we packed up a picnic snack and met (five-day older) twin friends Brenden and Neve, along with their mommy and grandma, at the concert pavilion.

Today's performance was by the a cappella group Almost Recess. Mommy and Daddy are big fans of a cappella groups, so Mommy was especially excited and thought that the group was one of the better ones she's heard. They did a great job getting the kids involved, and before long there was a huge crowd dancing in front of the stage. Alex and Ari had a great time clapping and dancing to the music, watching the other kids, and snacking on grapes and cheese:

Alex got a little tired towards the end (we skipped the morning nap to go to the concert), but all in all, they seemed to enjoy themselves. We saw a lot of familiar faces, including neighborhood friends Allison and Ryan. Alex and Ari went down for their long overdue nap when we got home at 11:30, and now, two hours later, there's no sign of them waking. Looks like their exciting morning wore them out!

Where Did Our Weekend Go?

Somehow, the weekend always seems to go by too fast! Even though we didn't have anything major planned this weekend, we ended up packing lots of activity into two short days.

Yesterday we took care of a lot of chores and errands: gardening (OK, more like weeding...), cleaning, laundry, and assembling some toys for Alex and Ari. We also took a trip to Costco, where Alex and Ari enjoy sitting in the carts that have room for two kids and tasting the samples offered throughout the store (yesterday included key lime pie). After dinner and before bed we took advantage of the cooler evening weather to head over to the tot lot so the kids could work off the last of their energy for the day. Both Alex and Ari are getting very brave on the equipment- sometimes too brave for their own good!

This morning Alex and Ari babysat Daddy while Mommy went to film a running DVD for the Spinervals/Runervals special Iron Girl series. She was humbled to be amongst the Olympic-qualifying runners and Iron Man triathletes who also appeared in the video. Yes, she was also the only pregnant athlete in the bunch, although there were other (very inspiring) mothers! For those of you interested in a copy of the DVD (which is, in Mommy's opinion, a great interval treadmill workout) it will come out in October, and we think Mommy will get a special discount. One of the perks of appearing in the video was a large haul of Ryka (Iron Girl event sponsor) gear: running shoes, sports bras, running shirts, hats, socks, etc. Mommy loves free stuff, especially running stuff! Here are a couple of pictures, taken by another athlete at the filming- the first is of the segment that Mommy was in (although she's on the far right so she's not in the picture) and the second is of Mommy and her friend Christian, who came to watch the shoot:

Later this afternoon we all went to our neighbors' house for our monthly get-together with five other families we're close with in the neighborhood. The kids had a blast playing with their friends and Mommy and Daddy enjoyed catching up with the other parents in between refereeing the kids and running after wanderers. Alex and Ari are just reaching the age now where they can actually join in the action with the other kids:

Alex (far right) chasing bubbles with his friends:

Ari stealing Jeremy's food:

Ari likes the ratio: so many boys!

So here we are, at the end of the weekend. How did that happen? Guess time flies when you're having fun...

Old Friends Found Again, Take 2

You may remember that back in January, we had a play date with Mommy's high school friend Laura and her twins. Since then, Mommy has been happy to get back in touch with several friends from her high school, most of whom now have little ones around Alex and Ari's age.

One of these friends is Tara, who now lives out of state but who saw Mommy quoted in a recent issue of Parenting Magazine and got back in touch to see if it was, in fact, the same person she went to high school with. Mommy and Tara hadn't seen each other since their high school reunion, so it was fun to get back in touch and catch up on what had happened in the past five years. Turns out a lot has happened, namely Alex, Ari, and for Tara, her adorable 8-month old son.

Tara is back in town visiting family this weekend, so Mommy took Alex and Ari over for a play date. Despite having woken up WAY too early this morning (we'll have no more of that, please!), Alex and Ari did very well and were very good playmates while Mommy and Tara caught up on five years' worth of life:

The time went by way too quickly, but when little ones dictate your schedule there's not much to be done, so before we knew it, it was time to head home for a much-needed nap. We're hoping Tara and her family come back to visit soon, or that we can make a trip to see them, since we all had such a good time today!

Two Adults and Five Children

You'd think that a lunch date with two adults and five children would be pure chaos, but it was actually quite enjoyable and entirely civilized!

Today we met friends (big) Alex, Vivi, Zach, and their mom at a nearby shopping/entertainment complex that hosts a "Summer Fun Series" for kids. We tried to watch the exotic animal demonstration (if you can call a macaw, millipede, chinchilla, and possum "exotic") but with the large crowds, it was hard for the littlest kids like Ari and Alex to see the actual animals. But we did see our twin friends Ivy and Brooke, so Alex and Ari were happy about that!

After the show and a visit to the playground, all seven of us went to California Pizza Kitchen where the kids enjoyed a lunch of mac 'n cheese. Mommy is proud to report that everyone was on their best behavior. Here's a picture of "the crew" on our way to lunch:

Alex, Vivi and Zach are starting camp next week but we hope that we can manage some more lunch/play dates soon!

Stayin' Cool

With the recent heat spell, we've been limiting our outdoor activities to early morning and trying to find indoor activities to keep us busy later in the day.

This afternoon we went to the local mall that has an indoor train for our first ride since this past winter (when the cold weather confined us to indoor activities). Now that Alex is walking, and can board the train himself, it's a lot easier for Mommy to get both kids onto the train. [As an aside, Ari is getting closer to walking...she now "cruises" all over the house and will walk as long as she has at least one finger to hold onto.] After the ride, Mommy treated Alex and Ari to an ice cold strawberry smoothie, which they thoroughly enjoyed drinking through the big straws!

Alex and Ari were in a particularly lovable mood today, especially towards each other. How cute is this picture?
Luckily, tonight thunderstorms ushered in what should be less oppressive temperatures- perfect for enjoying time outside the rest of this week!

Second Haircut and a Checkup for Mommy

Alex had his second haircut today, as his hair was growing over his ears and curling up in the back already! Mommy thought he might appreciate a shorter 'do in the hot weather, so off we went. Except for a brief "incident" with a spray bottle filled with cold water (hey, you wouldn't like it if you were sprayed from behind with cold water, either!), Alex was a perfect client. He and Arielle (who sat by and watched with keen interest) enjoyed the kid-friendly TV broadcasting Elmo and the free cookies.

A "before" shot:

Alex and Ari watch Elmo while Alex gets his haircut:

An "after" shot:

Later this afternoon, Aunt Lori came by to play with Alex and Ari while Mommy and Daddy went to the doctor's office for a 20-week ultrasound and checkup. We are quickly discovering the difference between a twin (considered somewhat high-risk) and singleton pregnancy. This was only the fourth ultrasound of the pregnancy; in comparison, at this point in Mommy's pregnancy with Alex and Ari, we had approximately 15 ultrasounds. Quite a different experience, to say the least! Good news is that everything looked "perfect" according to the doctor. While we could have found out the gender of this baby today, we're allowing ourselves to be surprised this time around. So everyone else will have to wait, too!

Fun in the Sun

Summer has definitely arrived...the temperatures this weekend reached the 90's, and tomorrow's forecast calls for a high of 94!

As if we needed reminding that summertime is upon us, we all went to a Jones Day summer associate event at the home of our friend Joey and his parents. Jones Day is the law firm where Mommy used to work before she took on the full-time job of "Mommy to Alex and Arielle (and the pending arrival)." It was hard for her to believe that it had been over a year since she saw many of her friends, and she was very excited to get to spend an evening catching up with everyone and introducing them to Alex and Ari. Alex and Ari were relieved to see some familiar faces: in addition to Joe, their younger twin friends Ellie and Thatch, who they hadn't seen since February, were also in attendance. We ended up having a late evening, as it was hard for Mommy to tear herself away from her old friends. Needless to say, Alex and Ari were pretty exhausted by the time we finally got home.

Today we celebrated Father's Day at the boat with Nana and Poppy Jack. Alex and Ari got to try out their new pool toys at the marina pool. During our last visit, Alex was eager to get into the pool, but Ari preferred to sit on the sidelines. This time, Ari jumped right in while it took Alex a few minutes to warm up to the idea of getting in the water:
All of the action today must have given Alex and Ari a huge appetite: when we got home, they devoured every bit of their dinner (veggie burgers, mushroom veggie bites, bananas, cereal, milk, and juice) plus still had room for a few bites of Mommy's ice cream. After dinner, they seemed to get a second wind, as they ended up laughing hysterically and running around until well after their normal bedtime. Finally they settled down enough for baths, and reluctantly turned in for the night. It was an active weekend- time to rest up and recharge for the week ahead!

Pool Time

As promised, we took advantage of the new, expanded hours at the neighborhood pool today despite the fact that the weather wasn't fully cooperating. It was a cool, cloudy day but our little fish weren't deterred and splashed around in the somewhat cold water for quite some time. You can tell that it wasn't an ideal pool day from the absence of other people in the pictures...but we had fun nonetheless!

New Hairdo

Ari's hair is finally getting long enough for Mommy to have some fun. Actually, it's Ari who loves new hairdos (and shoes, hats, etc....a true girlie girl!) Today we tried pigtails:
Monday Nana came home from her trip to Florida to visit GG bearing gifts from GG, including a puzzle for Alex (he loves eating the pieces) and a baby doll for Ari. Ari has been taking very good care of her new baby:

For the record, Alex also takes very good care of the new baby.

Tuesday we had our last music class- we were sad to say goodbye to our teacher and new friends, but we're already making plans with some of our friends from the class for a playdate in a few weeks. And we may take the class again in the fall if it fits into our schedule.

Wednesday we went to our neighborhood playgroup at fellow twin friends' Lilli and Gregory's house. Their mommy set up the pool and sprinklers in the back yard, and all of the kids had a blast splashing in the water. Even typically timid Ari got into the action, until the other kids got too close or splashed too much water in her face! Ari and neighbor Emily had on identical bathing suits, but of course Mommy forgot the camera so we don't have a picture. Next time!

Today's weather was cloudy and cooler (after a big thunderstorm last night that cut out our power for an hour!) but we managed to get out for a morning walk around the neighborhood with friends Tess and Sam and their mommies. Alex and Ari also got to see the school bus come pick up the kids (one of their favorite morning activities) one last time, as today is the last day of school for the summer. That also means that the pool will now be open earlier in the day, which is good news for our little fish. Guess what we'll be doing tomorrow?!

Multiple Multiples (and our 100th post!)

As of today, we officially have 100 entries to this blog...hard to believe we've gone from this to where we are today!

Speaking of today, we just got back from the annual picnic for our local Parents of Multiples club, where we were remarking with all of our friends at how far we've all come since last year's picnic. Last year, those of us with kids in the same age range (many of us members of the same playgroup) were preoccupied with pushing double strollers, nursing/feeding helpless infants, and watching the older kids enjoy the park, train, and carousel.

This year, our kids are (mostly) walking- or in Alex's case running- around, eating "real" food with the adults, and enjoying the amenities of the park. Alex and Ari hung out with lots of their friends, including Brooke and Ivy (who are also in our music class) and best pals Sydney and Alex G. They were also entertained by the "older" twins in attendance (who seemed to be equally entertained with the younger ones):

They also went on the carousel (with Mommy and Daddy of course!) and Ari in particular was very unhappy when the ride ended. Looks like we'll be heading back to the park for another ride some time soon!

Week in Review

Yes, Mommy has been lax in updating our blog. We've just had such a busy week that time to post has been rare! Let's see...

Sunday we celebrated with our friend Lauren and her family at her simchat bat, or naming ceremony. We were so honored to be part of this special celebration and enjoyed spending time with Lauren's extended family and friends.

Monday we had a playdate with our twin pals Sadie and Gabriel. Alex was in a grumpy mood for some reason, though, and his crying scared Sadie. Arielle, on the other hand, was very happy to play with her friends and hopes that her brother's behavior won't scare them off from future playdates!

Luckily Alex's bad mood passed quickly and Tuesday both kids had fun at their weekly music class, which is almost over now (boo, hoo!)

On tap Wednesday was a morning walk with pal Lauren and her mommy, followed by our weekly neighborhood playdate out at the tot lot. Alex and Ari are becoming quite the daredevils and are eager to climb all over the equipment. They especially love bouncing on the suspension bridge (otherwise known as the "bouncy," or in Alex's words, "bou, bou.")

Thursday we had to sit around waiting for our new washer and dryer to be delivered, so we didn't get to go outside an play in the morning, but after lunch Mommy took Alex and Ari to the lake with all the geese, where they got up close and personal with many a goose (looking to see if Alex and Ari had food for them!)

Today we met up with our friend Joe and his mommy for our second lunch date at Gordon Biersch. Joe is also anticipating a new sibling in the next six weeks or so! As you may recall, Joe is one of Ari's many crushes, and she continued her campaign to win his heart at lunch today, in part by showing him she could eat the biggest french fry on her plate:

Here are Mommy's various attempts to take a picture of Ari and Joe, and Ari's various responses to the request to "smile" (and for those of you wondering, the book in front of Ari does not belong to her...it was a gift to Joe from a family friend who is a nun...so Ari has not taken up religious readings!):

"Smile, Ari!"

"No, a nice smile please!"

"OK, let's try this one more time..."

And of course, the mommies had to take the mandatory picture of all three kids in front of one of Mommy's favorite candy stores:

Finally, tonight we wrapped up the week with Shabbat dinner at Miri and Opa's. Poppy joined us since he's on his own this weekend as Nana is in Florida with Ari and Alex's great-grandmother "GG."

This week we also discovered the likely reason Ari spiked a mysterous fever a week ago: she started cutting not one but FOUR molars! No wonder she refused to eat any solids for a couple of days...

All in all, a very busy, but very fun week filled with friends and adventures. This weekend we're looking forward to our big Parents of Multiples Club picnic...imagine hundreds of families with multiples of all ages all in one place. We'll be sure to post pictures!