Mother's Day Weekend and School Pictures

We had a very nice Mother's Day weekend and were lucky enough to be able to celebrate with a Sunday dinner with all of the mothers: Miri, Nana and Mommy. We had everyone over for a BBQ even though it was cold and rainy outside. Daddy was a champ and stood out in the drizzle to grill us all a very yummy dinner. Nana and Poppy brought Alex and Ari gifts from their great-grandmother GG, who they had just returned from visiting in Florida.

And here's another cute picture from this weekend:

This weekend we also went to a Housewarming party for Daddy's friend and former co-worker, Renee. Renee hadn't seen the twins since last year, and had not even met Kira yet, so it was fun for her to see how big everyone had grown. Alex and Ari (and Kira, of course) were on their best behavior at Renee's beautiful (and certainly not kid-proofed) new home.

Finally, some pictures from the past few weeks at school, thanks to Morah Sondra:

Diva

A few weeks ago, Mommy went with her girlfriends to get pedicures. Ever since, Ari has been asking to have her nails painted, too. So this morning, Mommy obliged and Miss Ari just LOVED having her nails painted. She sat nicely and waited for them to dry before insisting on looking at herself, and her newly painted nails, in the mirror.Alex was only slightly interested, asking Mommy to put just a dab of color on one nail before he was off to play with his new toy fire engine that came along with his new fire engine helmet Mommy bought him yesterday.

We've had several cool, rainy days in a row so we have been forced to stay inside and keep dry. The beauty of having three kids is that they have built-in playmates for rainy days. Kira especially enjoys the extra attention from her brother and sister.

Today we're off to an Open House for Daddy's former co-worker. At least it's indoors!

Sun and Sand

Today we had our weekly neighborhood play date at friend Riley's ("Ri-Ri") house. Ari and Alex had fun playing with their pals around Ri-Ri's sand table. As always, there was a hint of flirtation between Andrew and Ari, although Alex was the one who jumped at the opportunity to ride over to Ri-Ri's house in Andrew's two-seater Radio Flyer wagon. While the older kids frolicked in the sand, Kira hung out on the deck and watched with great interest.





Later this afternoon, Mommy took the kids to one of the other playgrounds in the neighborhood. She took them to this playground for the first time yesterday and Alex and Ari LOVED it- it's for older kids (not quite a "tot lot") but Alex and Ari are apparently now "big" enough to fully enjoy the larger playground equipment. Alex walked all the way home while Ari and Kira rode in the double jogging stroller, and he was quite the social ambassador, saying "hi, neighbor!" to everyone he saw and waving to the driver of the recycling truck. For as long as he's been able to talk, Alex has been our little social bee-- looks like some things never change!

Earth Day at the Quarry

Before we get to today's activities, backing up a bit...

We found a really great picture of Alex on the website of the company that took pictures at the 10K race last weekend, Brightroom. This is Alex at the starting line, getting "ready and set" to go (friend Justin is behind him). Just look at that determination!

Yesterday we took a trip to feed the ducks and then play on the nearby playground. Aunt Lori met us there and played with Alex and Ari on the playground while Mommy fed Kira. Aunt Lori did a great job supervising two energetic 2-year olds, especially amidst tens of other little (and not so little) kids running around.

This morning we went to the Earth Day celebration at a nearby quarry. It was quite the production: huge trucks (much to Alex's delight), a petting zoo, free food- including Alex and Ari's first taste of cotton candy, a DJ, face painting and strolling performers (a tree-man on stilts, an earth-woman on a unicycle). We saw lots of our twin friends (Mommy posted the event on our multiples group's online calendar) and neighbors...and we took LOTS of pictures:

Later today Miri and Opa are coming over to play with the kids so that Mommy and Daddy can go out to dinner and to the symphony, their birthday gift to Mommy. Mommy and Daddy are looking forward to a nice dinner and show, and the kids are looking forward to spending time with Miri and Opa!

Six Months

It's hard to believe, but Kira is six months old today! That's half way to one year already!
What is Kira up to at six months?

We're happy to report she is sleeping well lately (knock on wood!) She was waking up around 4 a.m. for a few nights in a row, but we finally took a hard line and let her "cry it out" and lo and behold, she has been sleeping pretty consistently from 7:00/7:30 p.m. until around 7:00 in the morning. We're hoping this trend continues.

This week she started eating peas along with her cereal and fruit (apple or banana) combination. She seems to have inherited the genetic distaste for veggies, as she pushes most of the peas out of her mouth with her tongue but will then eat a whole bowl of cereal and fruit. She is now taking just four bottles a day (up to 8 oz. each) about every four hours, with her two meals of "lunch" and "dinner" solids.

After rolling over one time when Mommy was in Boston, Kira hasn't repeated this feat. We're not too worried, though, as she's almost sitting on her own already, so maybe rolling is just too elementary for her?

Kira loves watching her big brother and sister and lights up when she sees them. We can tell she's eager to get up and run around with them. Likewise, Ari and Alex adore their little sister and are very protective of her. They give her lots of hugs and kisses and always want to make sure that "baby is happy." Indeed, Kira is a very happy baby!

Playdates and Meltdowns

The day started well enough: our weekly playgroup at friends Lilli, Greg and Jessi's house. The weather is nice again so we played outside and enjoyed a picnic snack. Everyone was having fun until Alex and Ari decided that waking up at 6:00 a.m. this morning meant that they were SUPER tired by 11:00...and they both melted down (Ari worse than Alex). Ari insisted on going home for "night night" so Mommy packed up the whole crew and headed home, where Alex and Ari promptly fell fast asleep. Let's hope they're in better moods this afternoon.

Before chaos broke out, we did get some cute pictures for our neighborhood website:


At least Kira enjoyed herself!!

Six Month Stats

Kira had her six month check-up today, a couple of days early. Here are her latest stats:

Weight: 16 lbs, 4 oz. (60th percentile)

Length: 27.75 inches (off the charts!)

Looks like she's going to be tall like her brother and sister. She had three shots and one oral vaccine, but took them all like a champ. A long morning of taking Ari and Alex to school, her doctor's appointment, and picking her older siblings up resulted in a marathon nap this afternoon of over three hours. She seems in good spirits, though, and got a clean bill of health from her doctor. The next visit is at nine months- hard to believe she'll be just three months away from turning a year old at the next visit. Where does the time go?!

25 Months and School Pictures

Although we've vowed to stop counting Alex and Ari's age by months now that they've reached two years old, it still bears mentioning that today is their 25 month birthday!

And here are several pictures from April at school, including preparations for Passover:

Sibling Love and Don't Turn Your Back on Kira

Sibling Love...
...and what happens when Mommy turns her back on Kira to answer a phone call, and leaves the bowl of rice cereal on the tray in front of her (the bowl was next to her in the seat). Luckily it wasn't the container of strained peas Kira tried today for the first time: