Family Time

The last few days have been filled with quality family time, as Daddy returned home from a week in Houston where he coached the GOLD MEDAL WINNING U14 Boys Soccer Team at the JCC Maccabi Games!! Mommy, Alex and Ari all eagerly awaited his return on Friday after a long week apart.

Backing up a day, Thursday (August 9) was Mommy and Daddy's ninth wedding anniversary and, coincidentally, the two year anniversary of the news that we were expecting Alex and Ari (although at the time, Mommy and Daddy didn't know two babies were on the way!) Two years ago Mommy and Daddy were also away at the JCC Maccabi Games (in San Antonio), as the annual event typically takes place over their wedding anniversary. So now the day holds extra special meaning. [In an interesting twist of fate, a good friend of Mommy's just adopted a new baby girl in San Antonio on August 9-- there must be something about San Antonio in August that brings good baby news!]

Although Mommy and Daddy spent the day hundreds of miles apart, our families made sure to make the day special. Miri and Opa came over to play with Alex and Ari and give Mommy a little break in her week of "single parenting." Later in the evening, Nana and Poppy Jack took us all out to dinner at Fuddruckers, where Alex and Ari were extremely well-behaved and ate a big dinner of grilled cheese, french fries and, of course, a cookie. Alex enjoyed the food almost as much as he enjoyed dancing in his high chair to the music played in the restaurant.

Even though we had fun celebrating without Daddy, we were all happy when he got home and looked forward to celebrating as a family as soon as we all caught up on much-needed sleep. Today we all took a trip to the neighborhood pool and enjoyed the beautiful (drier, cooler) day:

On the way to the pool in the Radio Flyer
Ari poses for the camera

Mommy and Alex

Daddy, Alex, and the "noodle"

This evening we went to dinner at Guapo's, the same restaurant that Mommy and Daddy and all of their friends hung out at the evening before their wedding nine years ago. It was a beautiful evening, so we ate outside and enjoyed the live music playing nearby. Alex ate like a champ...his new word is "hungry" and he kept telling us that he was hungry on the way to the restaurant. Turns out he wasn't kidding- Alex ate chips, salsa, quesadilla, french fries, tomatoes (a new discovery!), rice, black beans (another new food), and chocolate ice cream for dessert. Ari ate her share of chips and salsa (she insisted on dipping the chips in the salsa herself), french fries, a few pieces of quesadilla, and chocolate ice cream. She really wanted to try the radish that came as a garnish on Mommy's plate, but one taste and she decided that it wasn't as good as it looked.

Hmmmm...this doesn't taste as good as it looks

Alex says "don't interrupt my eating to take a picture!"

Ari dips her chip in the salsa

After dinner Ari was very excited to watch the ducks in the lake, and we all enjoyed the live "oldies" band playing along the waterfront. The hotel where Mommy and Daddy were married is next to the lake, so we made sure to get a family picture with the hotel in the background:

It was a perfect celebration and we're all very happy to be back together as a family again.

One final picture for today- Alex and Ari have been very sweet to each other this week, and often will kiss or hug each other. Here's a shot of a big sibling hug:

102 in the Shade

It's been a scorcher of a week here- today we broke the record high with a temperature of 102 degrees, and that wasn't counting humidity (the "heat index") which was supposedly between 105 and 110. Needless to say, we have been spending little time outside and that time we have been outside has been in the shade.

Yesterday we had a playdate with our twin friends Rina and Celia (indoors, of course!) before Nana came over to visit at dinnertime. Today was another playdate, although we did venture to meet outside for part of it-- in the early morning, though, and in the shade. We met newly 3-year old twin friends Sadie and Gabriel at the lake to feed the ducks before heading over to Corner Bakery for a belated birthday celebration and morning snack.
This afternoon we tried out our local My Gym- a preview class before our own class starts in September- and Ari and Alex enjoyed it as much (if not more!) as they did the first time in Florida. Ari was a lot more adventurous this time, venturing out on her own and trying out a lot of the climbing equipment and slides. She spotted her old favorite the ball pit from across the room, though, and her eyes lit up immediately. Mommy was relieved to find that she could handle both kids on her own in the class, since last time she had the luxury of Aunt Candy's extra set of hands.

The class we took today included an "independent play" time when the Mommies are asked to step back to the edge of the room to let the kids play on their own with each other and the teachers. This time is supposed to introduce the kids to being on their own or with adults different than their parents. Truth be told, Mommy was worried that Alex and Ari (especially Ari!) wouldn't like this concept, but to her amazement (and making her a little teary-eyed), they immediately took to playing on their own with the kids and to interacting with the teachers. It was a very weird feeling for Mommy to sit on the sidelines and watch her little "babies" play independently, but it made her very proud to watch them playing nicely and even offering to share the toys with other kids in the class. Plus, it gave her an opportunity to take some pictures of Alex and Ari playing with their new friends:
This evening we had a quick visit from Nana and then Aunt Lori, Uncle Sam and Cousin Ozzie came over for bath time. After a busy (and hot!) day, Alex and Ari were definitely ready to turn in for the night after kisses from Aunt Lori and Uncle Sam and a big lick from Cousin Ozzie.

Playdate and Future Playmate

After hanging out around the house this morning while some of our carpets were cleaned, we headed over to the Arkings' house for a playdate and a dip in the pool (much needed but not much of a relief on this horribly hot, humid day!) While visiting, we got some very exciting news: there will be a fourth Arking child to keep the third Reichmann child company!! Yes, the Arkings are expecting their fourth child in February, just three months after our expected arrival. We are all hoping for an uneventful and healthy next three/six months and that the newest arrivals become very good friends for years to come, just like those who came before them.

Alex and Ari enjoyed playing with their older friends, and Ari was especially enchanted with Vivi:
This evening, Miri came by to play with the kids and visit for a bit before bedtime. After a long, hot day, Alex and Ari were very ready for bed and are currently fast asleep, resting up for another big day tomorrow!

Week(end) in Review

How quickly a whole week goes by! Last week we spent a lot of time doing our "regular" activities: playing at the tot lot, in the backyard alligator pool, at a bi-monthly kids' performance series near our house, walks at the lake to feed the ducks and geese, etc.

This weekend has been a very busy one. Yesterday morning Mommy had a Board retreat for our parents of multiples club (she is the Vice President this year) so Daddy spent the morning entertaining Alex and Ari, and did a very good job. He took Alex and Ari to a new playground and then to the lake to see the ducks (we wonder if Alex and Ari are getting sick of the ducks at the lake- it's been a favorite activity of ours this summer!)

When Mommy returned after lunch, we all started to prepare to host a big BBQ/party for Daddy's JCC Maccabi soccer team and their families. We had 26 guests in all, including 10 athletes (13-14 year old boys) and 16 of their parents. Alex very much wanted to play with all of the big kids and even showed off his soccer skills by kicking around a ball. For those of you interested, it appears that Alex (for now, at least) is a lefty kicker.

Today we took advantage of the somewhat cooler weather (yesterday's high was 98 degrees!) to take a trip to the tot lot in the morning, followed by our weekly grocery shopping trip where Alex and Ari got to ride in the cart with the double car in the front. This afternoon, Aunt Lori and Uncle Sam came by for a visit and a trip to the neighborhood pool:

In other developments this week, Alex has learned to climb into his highchair by himself. This is a good way for him to tell us he's hungry (which is quite often) but it's also a reason for Mommy to start putting the tray back on the chair so he can't climb up- or, more importantly, jump off after climbing up- when Mommy's back is turned:


We also enrolled Alex and Ari in a My Gym class this week, so we're looking forward to another activity starting in September.

We have a busy week ahead so we're resting up this evening in anticipation!

Making Progress

We're not sure if she's teasing us again, but Ari seems to be making a lot of progress on the walking front this evening. Mommy pulled out the video camera when she realized how long it had been since we captured the kids on tape and all of a sudden, Ari was a performer. She couldn't stop walking- -what a show off! Just goes to prove that she CAN walk, she just chooses not to because she knows after a while, Mommy will just pick her up and take her where she wants to go. We'll try to get the video of her walking up on the blog shortly.

Today we got settled back into our normal weekday routine, starting off with a visit to our own tot lot. Later in the morning, we headed out to our city's weekly kids concert series only to discover when we got there that it was postponed due to a scheduling snafu (the performer thought she was supposed to show up next week, not this week!) We made the best of the situation by having a picnic on the lawn:

It was a good thing we stuck around because we ended up running into some other twin friends, as well as another friend who is a mommy of 2 1/2 year-old twins and a new baby. Mommy was encouraged to see her out and about with her twins in a double stroller and the baby in a Baby Bjorn- she was having visions of her own life in just a few months! So even though there was no show this week, we ended up having a nice morning catching up with our friends.

After lunch, we decided to try out the pool that Daddy worked so hard to inflate yesterday. Alex and Ari loved the pool, and especially the neat sprinkler feature (water sprays out of the alligator's snout). Mommy couldn't get them out of the pool!

Sixteen Months

Happy sixteen month birthday to Alex and Ari! It seems like we just celebrated their fifteen month birthday...how do the months seem to fly by faster and faster?

We're home from Orlando and happy to report that the return flight was MUCH better than our outgoing flight. We learned our lesson the first time and gate checked the carseats this time, so Alex and Ari each had their own seat with more room to spread out. They played happily for the first few hours- our flight was delayed due to storms in Orlando so we sat on the plane for an extra hour!- and then Alex fell asleep in Mommy's arms while Ari played with Daddy one row back. No luggage was lost and we all arrived home happy and unfrazzled.

This morning Aunt Lori came by to visit after she tried to go to an event that was advertised as being scheduled for "Sunday, July 28." She didn't catch the error at first glance- i.e., Sunday was July 29 (today) and July 28 was YESTERDAY...so she showed up at 9:00 a.m. only to find out the event had taken place yesterday. Because it was just around the corner from us, she made the best of a wasted trip to come by and spend some extra time with Alex and Ari before they went down for their morning nap.


The rest of the day we spent preparing to host our monthly "neighborhood gang" BBQ. Mommy has a monthly "Girls Night Out" with six other mommies in the neighborhood, and once a month we also get all of the families together for a BBQ. We were hoping for nice weather so that we could take advantage of our new, inflatable pool, so Daddy spent a good half hour pumping the pool full of air while Ari enjoyed hanging out in the center of the action:
Unfortunately, right before everyone arrived the skies got dark and thunder boomed, so we ended up having the party inside. Six boys ranging in age from 16 months to 3 years old made for some lively times. Here is what six boys can do to a playroom in about ten seconds flat:
Ari was a bit outnumbered (the only other little girl in the house was 4-month old Lauren, who isn't quite mobile yet) and started the evening afraid to even get out of Mommy's arms and down on the floor (who can blame her with all those rowdy boys?!) We think in about 13 years she'll have a different take on being one of the only girls in her group of friends in the neighborhood. Eventually she warmed up to the idea, though, and joined in on the fun:

So what are Alex and Ari doing at sixteen months old?



Alex is continuing to develop his language and motor skills. He is now saying "more" in addition to signing the word. He says "night, night" while resting his head on a pillow, the floor, or the couch. He also tries to repeat a lot of words he hears, and mimics gestures in his favorite books (Hey, Wake Up and The Zoo Book in particular). He is a wonderful listener and loves to help out by getting things for Mommy and bringing them to her. He loves to climb- unfortunately that also means climbing on things he's not allowed to climb onto, like the coffee table, kitchen chairs, etc. He is eating a few veggies lately- namely, peas and corn, and has impeccable fine motor skills that enable him to pick up one pea or one kernel of corn at a time. He is very polite and always signs (and tries to say) the word "please." This makes it very hard for Mommy to resist his requests for things like cookies and juice (who could turn down such a sweet face and polite request?!) Alex also gives big, sloppy kisses and warm hugs. But don't for a second think he isn't a typical boy, running around like a Tasmanian devil about 99% of the time he spends awake.


Ari is still working on her walking skills. She knows HOW, she's just too stubborn (and probably spoiled by Mommy) to do it on her own and insists on being picked up instead. She has gotten very good at stacking blocks and putting nesting cups together over the past month and will build a tower or put the cups back together with ease. She loves her brother and as soon as he's out of her sight, she yells "Ayex, Ayex" (she can't quite say the "l" yet) until he returns into the room. She loves the Baby Babble DVD (an excellent program designed by pediatric speech pathologists) and will repeat the words and sounds she hears as she sits rapt throughout the entire 45-minute DVD. She can smell a cookie a mile away and still only eats one vegetable: edamame.

Here's one last shot of the birthday girl and boy laughing uncontrollably while playing with bubbles:

Daddy's Back!

Daddy's conference ended today so after a morning visit to Merrill Park with Aunt Candy, and after a nap and lunch, we headed out to pick him up from his fancy-schmancy resort. Alex and Ari were very excited to have their Daddy back all to themselves (yesterday when we dropped him off after dinner, they were VERY upset to see him leave the car!)

Since we are leaving tomorrow morning, we spent the evening relaxing with Aunt Candy and Uncle Jerry and treated the kids to another dip in the pool.

Family time in the pool

Uncle Jerry reads to Alex
Uncle Jerry and Alex watch ducks in the lake
With Aunt Candy

This trip was really unforgettable and we are all very sad to leave tomorrow. We're already planning our return trip when the kids are a little older and ready for a visit to all of the theme parks!

What's Orlando Without a Little Mouse?

GG had to head home to Delray Beach early this afternoon, so we spent the morning hanging out with her, getting in some quality time before it was time for her to leave. We were sad to have to end our visit with her, but happy that she got to spend several days catching up with Alex and Ari and hope that she'll be able to come up to visit us at some point.

We were debating what to do in the afternoon- the weather looked a little iffy (and was very, very hot and humid) so we thought of going to an indoor science center, but it closed on the early side so we ended up deciding to get a taste of the "true" Orlando experience and go to Downtown Disney. On our way, we called Daddy for a weather report (since he was staying closer to the Disney area) and found out that he was done with work for the day and available to join us for our outing.

We had decided earlier in the week to skip the big Orlando parks this visit because of several factors: namely the hot, humid weather and the fact that Alex and Ari are a little young to appreciate the experience. We'll save that adventure for a future visit a few years down the road. However, Downtown Disney was a perfect "taste" of Disney without the whole Disney experience (or cost). The kids loved the Disney stores and there was even a carousel...Ari threw quite the fit when the ride was over and it was time to get off! But she was quickly distracted when we went into Goofy's Candy Shop. As soon as we walked in, she lit up and pointed to all of the "cookies!!!" She's definitely her Mommy's daughter.

Ari meets the Disney character dolls

Ari tries on a Princess sash in the Cinderella area

On the carousel (it was hard for Aunt Candy to get a good picture)

Uncle Jerry, who was on his way home from South Florida, was passing by Disney just in time to stop and meet us for dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. The wait to get into the main restaurant was hours long, but a nice hostess suggested we sit in the bar area (air conditioned and non-smoking) which was almost as good as sitting in the main restaurant. Alex and Ari were mesmerized by the fish in the aquariums, the special effects, and the decor. They ate pasta, garlic bread and french fries (with katsup!) for dinner and for dessert we headed back over to the candy store for some special treats.

Ari browses the Kids' Menu

A family shot at dinner

A nice picture of Daddy and Ari

Daddy and Ari in the fun house mirror at the candy store

Alex and Mommy in the fun house mirror at the candy store

We were all on a sugar high by the time we got home (after dropping Daddy off at his hotel) and certainly glad we chose to go to Downtown Disney instead of the science center.