Several months ago, in a flash of "brilliance" (more likely some sort of crazy thinking brought on by Mommy Brain), Mommy thought it would be a lot of fun for the whole family to accompany Daddy to San Diego on a week-long business trip. What could be more fun? Sun, warm weather, and visits with family and friends we rarely get a chance to see.
What Mommy didn't fully think through are the implications of a trip with 11-month old twins. To California. Where she'd be on her own, in a strange place, during the day with Alex and Ari. Where there would be little, if any, space in the hotel room for the kids to play. When (unbeknownst to us) San Diego would have it's worst weather-- rain, wind, and cold-- in forty years (according to Mommy's Great Aunt Vivian).
There were signs. The day we were scheduled to fly to San Diego (Sunday), we had 6+ inches of snow and our flight was cancelled and rescheduled for the following evening (Monday). Arielle had a mild fever, but it went away by the time we were rescheduled to leave. But then Mommy woke up with a horrible stomach virus at 2:00 am Monday morning, absolutely certain there was no way she'd be able to make the trip. But then she felt better! So the trip was back on! And despite all of the signs indicating that maybe it would be best for Mommy, Alex, and Ari to stay home, we went.
The adventure started off well-- the kids were wonderful in the airport and on the plane. We had these cool contraptions called GoGoKidz, which allowed Alex and Ari to cruise the airport in the comfort of their own car seats. They charmed fellow passengers and flight attendants, and we even managed to get an extra empty seat on the plane (did we mention we planned to fly all the way to San Diego with the kids on our laps? Again, chalk it up to insane Mommy Brain). Alex fell asleep before we even departed, and Arielle watched eagerly out the window before she fell asleep in Mommy's arms shortly thereafter (and after a brief, but powerful, crying stint). Even though she looks like she's crying here, Ari was actually laughing at this point:
Managing two babies in San Diego, however, proved much harder than the flight itself. With Daddy in meetings during the day, Mommy was left to entertain Alex and Ari, who quickly bored of the hotel room (or who were too tempted to get into lots of good-natured mischief) and were having too much fun to nap. Tuesday was a cold and rainy day, but we had to go out and pick up our rented stroller and make a trip to the store to pick up necessities, so out we schlepped into the cold rain (without a stroller at first). Did I mention we were on the second story of a two-level building with an outside walkway to the individual rooms? And that there was no elevator so any time we wanted to go to or from our room, the only option was for Mommy to somehow remove two babies from the car (or hotel room) and carry them both at the same time? In the rain? Needless to say, Mommy ended up a very tired, soaked mess by the end of the day.After drying off, we ended up having a nice dinner Tuesday evening in La Jolla at a trendy restaurant where the staff was very (unexpectedly) child-friendly. We planned to get back on track on Wednesday; Alas, the best-laid plans... before that could happen, Daddy woke up in the middle of the night with the same stomach virus Mommy had just experienced. It hit him hard, and the reality of being cooped up in a tiny hotel room in a far-away city with a very sick Daddy hit Mommy even harder. In the immortal words of The Gambler, "You got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em, know when to walk away, and know when to run." So we decided to return home early and booked the red-eye flight out of San Diego for Wednesday night.
We tried to make the best of the situation, so Mommy took Alex and Ari out so that Daddy could rest and so that Alex and Ari could get some much-needed nap time on a long ride in the car. We drove up to Long Beach to the Aquarium of the Pacific where we met Mommy's friends Laura and Dean and their kids Brandon and Mischa. Mommy hadn't seen Laura and Dean in many years, and had never met Brandon and Mischa so we were all very excited to spend time with them. It was so much fun to see everyone and we all wish we lived closer so that we could see each other more often. We toured the beautiful aquarium and then enjoyed lunch together before we returned to San Diego for a visit with Mommy's Great Uncle Ray and Great Aunt Vivian. Here's the gang at lunch, after Alex, Ari, and Mischa created a mess of Cheerios and broccoli on the restaurant's floor:
Alex and Ari caught some more much-needed nap time on the way back to San Diego before our visit with Great Uncle Ray, Great Aunt Vivian, and Cousin Felicia (and much to Alex's delight, Ginger the dog!) The last time Mommy saw Uncle Ray and Aunt Vivian, she was only four years old...needless to say, she didn't remember that visit so essentially we were all meeting for the first time. We had such a wonderful time together, and Alex and Ari were very excited to have some space to crawl, cruise, explore, and chase after Ginger the dog. Here is a priceless family photo of Ray, Vivian, Felicia, Ginger, Alex and Ari:
After our visit, we headed back to the hotel to pick up poor Daddy, pack up, and leave for the airport to catch our 10:10 pm flight back to the east coast. Again, Ari and Alex were in good spirits despite the fact they were delirious with sleep deprivation. As soon as we boarded the plane (this time in two completely empty rows, which gave us more space to spread out), both kids sacked out for the duration of the flight. So, here we are, everyone a little bit more than relieved to be home. In hindsight, it probably wasn't the brightest idea to join Daddy on his business trip to the West Coast, but we still had memorable highlights and we've seen how well Alex and Ari can do on a long flight, which is good...because we have a trip to Chile in our future! Thankfully for us, we'll have a lot of helping hands there, as well as much more space for the kids to spread out.
Somewhere in the last two days, Alex and Ari celebrated their 11-month birthday. Because they were born on the 29th of the month, they technically did not have an 11-month birthday, but we're so confused with time changes, anyway, that recognizing their birthday a day or two late won't make much of a difference to us. Stay tuned for official 11-month pictures...today was spent catching up on sleep, in pajamas all day, so we didn't have much of a photo opportunity!
We better be careful...these kids are developing some expensive tastes!
Ari seemed to be smitten with the very handsome Joe- she was flirting with him and even shared her Cheerios with him. Word has it that Joe has a girlfriend already, but that didn't discourage Ari from turning on the charm:
As you can see, we all had a great time catching up and promised to get together again soon!
Daddy had fun showing off his babies to his co-workers, and we had a chance to see fellow twin mommy Amber and her latest pictures of 
Today was a very exciting day. First we went to lunch with Mommy's friend from 
After lunch, it was our turn to visit Great Beginnings because Mommy and Daddy had to buy some stuff for our upcoming trips on something called an "airplane." We don't know exactly what this "airplane" thing is, but we know it means Mommy and Daddy need a lot of stuff. Luckily, Great Beginnings has LOTS of stuff. Ari found a fuzzy green chair and a piano that she really liked; unfortunately, even though she tried very hard to use her charm and sweet smile to her benefit, the chair and piano were not among the stuff Mommy and Daddy ended up buying:
Later this afternoon, Nana and Poppy Jack came over to play with us before we headed out to meet Miri and Opa at The Shoe Train, the "go-to source" for childrens' shoes. Yes, today we got our first pairs of "real" shoes! With Alex cruising around the house, everyone seemed to think it was time for us to get some shoes like the grown-ups wear (although ours are much cuter, if we may say so ourselves.) Mommy brings her camera everywhere, so of course there are pictures:
Alex also wants to mention that he is now saying "Dada" specifically when referring to Daddy (show-off). Mommy says she doesn't feel slighted, but we're working hard to say "Mama" to make sure she doesn't feel left out.
Speaking of neighbors, we managed to bundle up and trek through the snow to our other neighbors' house for a play date with Alex and Ari's friends Andrew, Justin, Jason, and Mitchell. We quickly realized that Arielle is going to be mighty happy with the ratio of (older) boys to girls in this neighborhood in about 13 years.
The past week has been a fun one: Daddy came back from his week-long business trip on Wednesday morning, and he took the day off to catch up on quality time with the family. Friday we hosted yet another neighborhood play date with a strong turnout among Alex and Ari's neighborhood pals.
Mommy discovered the most exciting news today when she put her finger in Alex's mouth and felt a TOOTH coming in on the bottom! So, one week past his 10-month birthday, Mr. Alex finally cut his first tooth. One down, four more to go to catch up to his sister, who is working on five teeth now (as you can see in the picture above). Nana also taught Alex a new "trick" this weekend: "Alex, where are your ears?"
Tonight we took it easy and got some chores done around the house. Mommy left Ari with the laundry basket for a few seconds and returned to find Ari with underwear around her neck:
So all's well that ends well, and we're just hoping to make it through the rest of the winter illness-free!
This morning Aunt Lori, Uncle Sam, and Cousin Ozzie came over to babysit Alex and Ari while Mommy went out to a doctor's appointment. The kids had so much fun and were in the happiest mood when Mommy got home. In fact, they didn't even realize Mommy was gone (or if they did, they certainly didn't mind). Alex was excited to have a doggie inside the house (vs. just walking by on the other side of the window!) and Ari enjoyed having Aunt Lori read stories and sing songs. As is evident in this picture, Alex was more intent on playing with Ozzie...
...and was happy to have a new friend join him at his window ("You see, Ozzie, that little white dog goes by every morning around 10:30, and in a little while the big brown dog will go by.")
Finally, tonight we had all of the grandparents over for dinner. Alex and Ari enjoyed the extra attention; they were pooped from a long day, though, so right after dinner, Miri and Nana helped Mommy get everyone to bed. Miri took some great pictures so once we get them from her we'll post them for all to see.
On Tuesday, we met Mommy's friends Mel and Jana and their kids (Alex and Ari's older friends) at the mall for lunch and a ride on the indoor train that goes around the inside of the mall. Mommy wasn't sure if Ari and Alex would appreciate the ride on the train as much as their older friends do, but they had a blast. Alex stood at the window, hair blowing in the "wind," smiling at the people watching the train go by. It was hard to get a good picture, but Mommy's friend Mel was kind enough to snap this shot of the three of us getting ready to depart:
Wednesday was our weekly neighborhood play date where Alex and Ari had a chance to socialize with more of their friends. In the evening, Nana and Poppy Jack came by to babysit while Daddy went to a Homeowners Association Meeting and Mommy had a chance to socialize with HER friends at a fabulous inaugural monthly Girls Night Out. Alex and Ari received an excellent report from their babysitters and were sound asleep when Mommy and Daddy arrived home later that evening.
We have a busy social schedule this week, including hosting a play date for our other twin friends, lunch with our favorite older twin pals, and our neighborhood playgroup. Next Monday Alex and Ari will turn 10 months old - it is hard to believe they are only a few weeks from turning one year old!
Tomorrow it's off to Baltimore to visit Great Aunt Bess and Cousin Jake. Winter has finally reared it's head, as the forecast for tomorrow is calling for measurable snow (quite a difference from our 70-degree days just a week ago) but we're not going to let a little snow stop us. Maybe Alex and Ari will actually get to use their snow sled (another hand-me-down from big Alex, Vivi, and Zach) this winter, after all!
